unexpected
/ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/adjective, noun
unexpected is spelled U-N-E-X-P-E-C-T-E-D: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unexpected means “Not expected, anticipated or foreseen” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unexpected?
| Letters | 10: U-N-E-X-P-E-C-T-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,838th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is unexpected?
Unexpected appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,838th 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 unexpected?
- US /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/
Unexpected has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-unexpected.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unexpected
- more unexpected comparative
- most unexpected superlative
- unexpecteds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unexpected mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not expected, anticipated or foreseen.
noun
- 1
rareSomeone or something unexpected.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unexpected in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not expected, anticipated or foreseen – see also unhoped-for, unannounced:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inattendu, imprévu, inopiné |
| German | unerwartet |
| Portuguese | inesperado |
| Spanish | inesperado, inopinado, imprevisto |
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 unexpected come from?
From un- + expected.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).