underneath
/ˌʌndɚˈniθ/adverb, preposition, adjective, noun
underneath is spelled U-N-D-E-R-N-E-A-T-H: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, underneath means “Below; in a place beneath” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in underneath?
| Letters | 10: U-N-D-E-R-N-E-A-T-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is underneath?
Underneath appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce underneath?
- UK /ˌʌndəˈniːθ/
- Canada /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
- US /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
Underneath has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-underneath.ogg, En-us-underneath.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with underneath?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as underneath from its last stressed vowel (/iθ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of underneath
- underneaths plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does underneath mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Below; in a place beneath.
I can't take my sweater off: I amn't wearing anything else on underneath.
- 2
On the underside or lower face.
preposition
- 1
Under, below, beneath.
Underneath the water, all was calm.
- 2
Under the control or power of.
There was little freedom underneath the Nazi jackboot.
adjective
- 1
Under, lower.
You can have the underneath bunk.
noun
- 1
The bottom of something.
The underneath of the aircraft was painted blue.
- 2
A background radio sound track played during a specific announcement or program.
The underneath is music from the latest album by ….
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Underneath in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dessous , en dessous, sous , du dessous, d'en dessous |
| German | unten , unterhalb |
| Portuguese | abaixo , por baixo , sob |
| Spanish | abajo , bajo , por debajo , bajos |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does underneath come from?
From Middle English undernethe, undernethen, from Old English underneoþan (“underneath”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *underniþer. Equivalent to under- + neath.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).