underweight

adj

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

"underweight" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“underweight” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,999. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,999
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of an inappropriately or unusually low weight.

Corpus desk

Index EN-underweight · underweight · English

underweight · rank #35,999 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,999
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unconnected

Nearest frequency peer: unconnected (-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 “underweight”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “underweight” 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
Key facts for underweight
PropertyValue
Headwordunderweight
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters11
Frequency rank#35,999
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “underweight”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).underweightlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “unconnected” (#35,998), “undetectable” (#36,000), “uncomplicated” (#35,997). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “underweight” is #35,999. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around underweight, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #35,999 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for underweight, with forms such as "nuderweight", "udnerweight", and "undderweight". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From under- + weight. The correct English form is underweight, spelled U-N-D-E-R-W-E-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of an inappropriately or unusually low weight.
  2. 2
    Not too heavy for an intended purpose.
  3. 3
    Being less invested in a particular area than market wisdom suggests.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He's so underweight he's had to buy smaller clothes.
  2. He's thirty pounds underweight.

Etymology

From under- + weight.

Antonyms

overweightoverweight

This word in other languages

maigre(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuderweight
  • udnerweight
  • undderweight
  • underewight
  • underrweight
  • underwegiht
  • underweigght
  • underweighht
  • underweightt
  • underweigth
  • underweihgt
  • underwieght
  • underwweight
  • undewreight
  • undreweight
  • unedrweight
  • unnderweight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nuderweight2udnerweight2undderweight1underewight2underrweight1underwegiht2underweigght1underweighht1
Edit distance from "underweight"

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 "underweight"?
"underweight" is spelled U-N-D-E-R-W-E-I-G-H-T.
What does "underweight" mean?
As an adjective, "underweight" means: Of an inappropriately or unusually low weight.
What are common misspellings of "underweight"?
Common misspellings include "nuderweight", "udnerweight", "undderweight", "underewight", "underrweight". The correct spelling is "underweight".
What is the origin of the word "underweight"?
From under- + weight. 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 "underweight", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unconnected#35,998subtracting#35,965subservient#35,962Australasia#36,044

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

subcutaneous17 variantsroleplaying17 variantsoverestimate17 variantsfibrillation17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list