undertake

/ˌʌndəˈteɪk/

//ˌʌndəˈteɪk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“undertake” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,787. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,787
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on (a specific task etc.).

Corpus desk

Index EN-undertake · undertake · English

undertake · rank #10,787 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,787
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH uncovered

Nearest frequency peer: uncovered (-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 “undertake”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “undertake” 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 September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

undertake vs undertone
78% similar
undertake vs undertaken
90% similar
undertake vs undertaker
90% similar

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

Key facts for undertake
PropertyValue
Headwordundertake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌʌndəˈteɪk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#10,787
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “undertake” 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).undertakelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “uncovered” (#10,786), “unpaid” (#10,788), “Ty” (#10,785). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around undertake (IPA /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #10,787 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for undertake, with forms such as "nudertake", "udnertake", and "unddertake". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "undertone", "undertaken", "undertaker", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English undertaken; equivalent to under- + take (after undernim). The correct English form is undertake, spelled U-N-D-E-R-T-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on (a specific task etc.).
  2. 2
    To commit oneself (to an obligation, activity etc.).
  3. 3
    To pass a slower moving vehicle on the curbside rather than on the side closest to oncoming traffic.
  4. 4
    To pledge; to assert, assure; to dare say.
  5. 5
    To take by trickery; to trap, to seize upon.
  6. 6
    To assume, as a character; to take on.
  7. 7
    To engage with; to attack, take on in a fight.
  8. 8
    To have knowledge of; to hear.
  9. 9
    To have or take charge of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This said, he sat; and expectation held His look suspense, awaiting who appeared To second, or oppose, or undertake The perilous attempt.
  2. He undertook to exercise more in future.

Etymology

From Middle English undertaken; equivalent to under- + take (after undernim).

This word in other languages

emprender(Español)entreprendre(Français)unternehmen(Deutsch)empreender(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nudertake
  • udnertake
  • unddertake
  • underatke
  • underrtake
  • undertaek
  • undertakke
  • undertkae
  • underttake
  • undetrake
  • undretake
  • unedrtake
  • unndertake

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nudertake2udnertake2unddertake1underatke2underrtake1undertaek2undertakke1undertkae2
Edit distance from "undertake"

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 "undertake"?
"undertake" is spelled U-N-D-E-R-T-A-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/.
What does "undertake" mean?
As a verb, "undertake" means: To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on (a specific task etc.).
What words are commonly confused with "undertake"?
"undertake" is commonly confused with "undertone", "undertaken", "undertaker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "undertake"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "undertake" is /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/. 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 "undertake"?
From Middle English undertaken; equivalent to under- + take (after undernim). 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 "undertake", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

uncovered#10,786violating#10,793schooling#10,765awakening#10,815

Similar misspelling depth

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

almighty13 variantsSherlock13 variantsbilateral13 variantsconcealed13 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "undertake". Here's where to go from here.

  • "undertake" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "undertone". View pair
  • 13 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #10,787 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "U" letter cohort. U–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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