unexpectedly
/ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/adverb
unexpectedly is spelled U-N-E-X-P-E-C-T-E-D-L-Y: 12 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, unexpectedly means “In an unexpected manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unexpectedly?
| Letters | 12: U-N-E-X-P-E-C-T-E-D-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.1 times per million words; the 11,015th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is unexpectedly?
Unexpectedly appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th 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 unexpectedly?
- US /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/
Unexpectedly has 5 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-unexpectedly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with unexpectedly?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as unexpectedly from its last stressed vowel (/ɛktɪdli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of unexpectedly
- more unexpectedly comparative
- most unexpectedly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unexpectedly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In an unexpected manner.
Near-synonyms: against expectations, against all odds, surprisingly
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unexpectedly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in an unexpected manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contre toute attente, de manière inattendue, surprenamment |
| German | unerwartet, unerwarteterweise |
| Portuguese | inesperadamente |
| Spanish | inesperadamente, inopinadamente |
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 unexpectedly come from?
From unexpected + -ly or un- + expectedly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).