unfavourable

adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"unfavourable" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unfavourable” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,751. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,751
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
18
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Serving to hinder or oppose; adverse, disadvantageous, inconducive, unsuitable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unfavourable · unfavourable · English

unfavourable · rank #37,751 · 18 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #37,751
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH uncool

Nearest frequency peer: uncool (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “unfavourable”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “unfavourable” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

unfavourable vs unfavorable
92% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for unfavourable
PropertyValue
Headwordunfavourable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters12
Frequency rank#37,751
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unfavourable”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).unfavourablelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “uncool” (#37,750), “unloved” (#37,752), “unclassified” (#37,749). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unfavourable” is #37,751. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around unfavourable, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #37,751 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for unfavourable, with forms such as "nufavourable", "ufnavourable", and "unafvourable". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "unfavorable", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + favourable. The correct English form is unfavourable, spelled U-N-F-A-V-O-U-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Serving to hinder or oppose; adverse, disadvantageous, inconducive, unsuitable.
  2. 2
    Not auspicious; ill-boding.
  3. 3
    Of a belief, state of mind, etc.: not favourable; disapproving.
  4. 4
    Of wind or weather: causing delay or obstacles; not conducive to travel or work; inclement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The shade of a dense pine wood, is more unfavorable to the springing up of pines of the same species than of oaks within it.
  2. About 200 guests were invited and entertained to lunch in the so-called booking hall at Waterloo; the contractors, Spiers & Pond Limited, were much praised for organising the repast, with attendant cloak room facilities, so well in such unfavourable surroundings.

Etymology

From un- + favourable.

This word in other languages

desfavorable(Español)défavorable(Français)ungünstig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nufavourable
  • ufnavourable
  • unafvourable
  • unfaovurable
  • unfavoruable
  • unfavouarble
  • unfavourabble
  • unfavourabel
  • unfavourablle
  • unfavouralbe
  • unfavourbale
  • unfavourible
  • unfavourrable
  • unfavuorable
  • unfavvourable
  • unffavourable
  • unfvaourable
  • unnfavourable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unfavourable - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nufavourable2ufnavourable2unafvourable2unfaovurable2unfavoruable2unfavouarble2unfavourabble1unfavourabel2
Edit distance from "unfavourable"

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 "unfavourable"?
"unfavourable" is spelled U-N-F-A-V-O-U-R-A-B-L-E.
What does "unfavourable" mean?
As an adjective, "unfavourable" means: Serving to hinder or oppose; adverse, disadvantageous, inconducive, unsuitable.
What words are commonly confused with "unfavourable"?
"unfavourable" is commonly confused with "unfavorable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "unfavourable"?
From un- + favourable. 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 "unfavourable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unclassified#37,749unapologetic#37,748technologist#37,730rejuvenation#37,655

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

submersible18 variantsSchenectady18 variantsprovisionally18 variantspreservative18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list