undersecretary

noun

"undersecretary" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“undersecretary” has 22 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,383. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,383
frequency rank, English
23,789
“U” headwords
22
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An administrator immediately subordinate to a head of a government department or to a member of a cabinet

Corpus desk

Index EN-undersecretary · undersecretary · English

undersecretary · rank #36,383 · 22 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,383
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 22 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 23,789
  • PHOTO-FINISH unassuming

Nearest frequency peer: unassuming (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “undersecretary”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “undersecretary” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for undersecretary
PropertyValue
Headwordundersecretary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters14
Frequency rank#36,383
Misspellings tracked22
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “undersecretary” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). undersecretary lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 22 spelling variants around undersecretary, anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,383 among 23,789 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 22 likely wrong-spelling variants for undersecretary, with forms such as "nudersecretary", "udnersecretary", and "unddersecretary". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From under- + secretary. The correct English form is undersecretary, spelled U-N-D-E-R-S-E-C-R-E-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An administrator immediately subordinate to a head of a government department or to a member of a cabinet
  2. 2
    An assistant or deputy secretary of a government department

Etymology

From under- + secretary.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nudersecretary
  • udnersecretary
  • unddersecretary
  • underescretary
  • underrsecretary
  • undersceretary
  • underseccretary
  • undersecertary
  • undersecreatry
  • undersecretarry
  • undersecretaryy
  • undersecretayr
  • undersecretray
  • undersecrettary
  • undersecrretary
  • undersecrteary
  • undersercetary
  • underssecretary
  • undesrecretary
  • undresecretary
  • unedrsecretary
  • unndersecretary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of undersecretary - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nudersecretary2udnersecretary2unddersecretary1underescretary2underrsecretary1undersceretary2underseccretary1undersecertary2
Edit distance from "undersecretary"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "undersecretary"?
"undersecretary" is spelled U-N-D-E-R-S-E-C-R-E-T-A-R-Y.
What does "undersecretary" mean?
As a noun, "undersecretary" means: An administrator immediately subordinate to a head of a government department or to a member of a cabinet
What are common misspellings of "undersecretary"?
Common misspellings include "nudersecretary", "udnersecretary", "unddersecretary", "underescretary", "underrsecretary". The correct spelling is "undersecretary".
What is the origin of the word "undersecretary"?
From under- + secretary. 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 "undersecretary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (22 here; floor ≥5).

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list