unequal
un·equal/ʌnˈiːkwəl/adjective, noun
unequal is spelled U-N-E-Q-U-A-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables (un·equal). It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unequal means “Not the same” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unequal?
| Letters | 7: U-N-E-Q-U-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: un·equal |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is unequal?
Unequal appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th 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 unequal?
- /ʌnˈiːkwəl/
Unequal has 2 syllables, split un·equal in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unequal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unequal
- more unequal comparative
- most unequal superlative
- unequals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unequal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not the same.
- 2
Out of balance.
- 3
Inadequate; insufficiently capable or qualified.
unequal to the task
- 4
Erratic, inconsistent.
noun
- 1
One who is not an equal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unequal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not the same:
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 unequal come from?
From Middle English unequale, equivalent to un- + equal. Compare German unegal (“unlevel, uneven”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).