unfettered
/ˈʌnˈfɛtɚd/adjective, verb
unfettered is spelled U-N-F-E-T-T-E-R-E-D: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unfettered means “Not bound by chains or shackles” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unfettered?
| Letters | 10: U-N-F-E-T-T-E-R-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,236th 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 unfettered?
Unfettered appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th 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 unfettered?
- UK /ʌnˈfɛtəd/
- US /ˈʌnˈfɛtɚd/
Unfettered has 3 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-unfettered.ogg, En-au-unfettered.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with unfettered?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as unfettered from its last stressed vowel (/ɛtəɹd/):
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 unfettered
- more unfettered comparative
- most unfettered superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unfettered mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not bound by chains or shackles.
Near-synonyms: unmanacled, unhandcuffed
- 2
Not restricted.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of unfetter
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unfettered in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | entfesselt, frei , ungehindert, ungezügelt |
| Spanish | desencadenado , irrestricto, libre, sin restricciones, sin trabas |
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 unfettered come from?
From un- + fettered.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).