underweight
"underweight" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“underweight” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,999 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #35,999
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of an inappropriately or unusually low weight.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | underweight |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #35,999 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “underweight” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for underweight is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #35,999 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Of an inappropriately or unusually low weight.
- 2Not too heavy for an intended purpose.
- 3Being less invested in a particular area than market wisdom suggests.
Etymology
From under- + weight.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "underweight" mean?
What are common misspellings of "underweight"?
What is the origin of the word "underweight"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “underweight”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-N-D-E-R-W-E-I-G-H-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.