unequally

/ʌnˈiːkwəli/

//ʌnˈiːkwəli// adv

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

The verdict

“unequally” is uncommon English (frequency #67,925 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,925
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not equally, unevenly, sometimes unfairly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unequally · unequally · English

unequally · rank #67,925 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,925
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH undernourished

Nearest frequency peer: undernourished (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “unequally”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “unequally” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unequally
PropertyValue
Headwordunequally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ʌnˈiːkwəli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#67,925
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unequally” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “undernourished” (#67,924), “uncoupling” (#67,923), “unleavened” (#67,927). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unequally” is #67,925. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unequally is uncommon English at frequency #67,925 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ʌnˈiːkwəli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Not equally, unevenly, sometimes unfairly.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for unequally, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From unequal + -ly. The correct English form is unequally, spelled U-N-E-Q-U-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not equally, unevenly, sometimes unfairly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Shee was well borne, and civilly brought up; her ruine was her being unequally Married: not that her Husband was not of good eſteeme amongſt the Citizens, and according to his quality well to live: but for that ſhee being of riper Yeares then hee, the love which uſeth to be betweene equalls was not betweene them; […]
  2. Perhaps the widespread attempts in recent years to try to think intersectionally – to understand how multiple factors affect each person’s identity and experience – has equipped us to understand how unequally affected we are by a disease and the measures taken to limit it.

Etymology

From unequal + -ly.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

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 "unequally"?
"unequally" is spelled U-N-E-Q-U-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈiːkwəli/.
What does "unequally" mean?
As an adverb, "unequally" means: Not equally, unevenly, sometimes unfairly.
How do you pronounce "unequally"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unequally" is /ʌnˈiːkwəli/. 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 "unequally"?
From unequal + -ly. 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 "unequally", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list