undermine

/ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/

//ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"undermine" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“undermine” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,161. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,161
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap.

Corpus desk

Index EN-undermine · undermine · English

undermine · rank #12,161 · 13 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,161
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unconstitutio…

Nearest frequency peer: unconstitutional (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “undermine”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “undermine” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

undermine vs underpin
78% similar
undermine vs underside
78% similar
undermine vs undertone
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for undermine
PropertyValue
Headwordundermine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,161
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “undermine”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).underminelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “unconstitutional” (#12,160), “underwent” (#12,162), “vacancy” (#12,163). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “undermine” is #12,161. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around undermine (IPA /ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #12,161 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for undermine, with forms such as "nudermine", "udnermine", and "unddermine". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "underpin", "underside", "undertone", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From under- + mine. The correct English form is undermine, spelled U-N-D-E-R-M-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap.
  2. 2
    To weaken or work against; to hinder, sabotage.
  3. 3
    To erode the base or foundation of something, e.g. by the action of water.
  4. 4
    To regard an object as the sum of the parts that compose it, in object-oriented ontology.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how undermine appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Martin, for instance, had on one occasion undermined a tree sacred to old gods, then stood in the path of its fall, but forced it to fall elsewhere by making the sign of the Cross.
  2. The war efforts were undermined by the constant bickering between the allies.

Etymology

From under- + mine.

Antonyms

undergird

This word in other languages

socavar(Español)saper(Français)unterlaufen(Deutsch)solapar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nudermine
  • udnermine
  • unddermine
  • undemrine
  • underimne
  • undermien
  • underminne
  • undermmine
  • undermnie
  • underrmine
  • undremine
  • unedrmine
  • unndermine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of undermine - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nudermine2udnermine2unddermine1undemrine2underimne2undermien2underminne1undermmine1
Edit distance from "undermine"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "undermine"?
"undermine" is spelled U-N-D-E-R-M-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/.
What does "undermine" mean?
As a verb, "undermine" means: To dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap.
What words are commonly confused with "undermine"?
"undermine" is commonly confused with "underpin", "underside", "undertone". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "undermine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "undermine" is /ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "undermine"?
From under- + mine. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "undermine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

underwent#12,162terminate#12,153withstand#12,170amazingly#12,178

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

tempting13 variantsaccustomed13 variantssimplest13 variantspreseason13 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list