unfold

/ʌnˈfoʊld/

//ʌnˈfoʊld// verb

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

"unfold" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unfold” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,155. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,155
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To undo a folding.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unfold · unfold · English

unfold · rank #16,155 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,155
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH uneasy

Nearest frequency peer: uneasy (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “unfold”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “unfold” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

unfold vs uphold
67% similar
unfold vs untold
83% similar
unfold vs unload
67% similar

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

Key facts for unfold
PropertyValue
Headwordunfold
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʌnˈfoʊld/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,155
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “unfold” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).unfoldlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “uneasy” (#16,154), “USDA” (#16,156), “uhh” (#16,153). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around unfold (IPA /ʌnˈfoʊld/), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,155 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for unfold, with forms such as "nufold", "ufnold", and "unffold". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "uphold", "untold", "unload", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unfolden, from Old English unfealdan (“to unfold”), equivalent to un- + fold. The correct English form is unfold, spelled U-N-F-O-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To undo a folding.
  2. 2
    To become unfolded.
  3. 3
    To turn out; to happen; to develop.
  4. 4
    To lay open to view or contemplation; to bring out in all the details, or by successive development; to reveal.
  5. 5
    To reassemble a line of text that was split across multiple lines.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to unfold a map; to unfold a tablecloth; She unpacks the new dress and unfolds it carefully.
  2. Unfold thy forehead gathered into frowns.

Etymology

From Middle English unfolden, from Old English unfealdan (“to unfold”), equivalent to un- + fold.

Synonyms

exposeuncoverreveal

Antonyms

fold

This word in other languages

discurrir(Español)déplier(Français)entfalten(Deutsch)desdobrar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nufold
  • ufnold
  • unffold
  • unflod
  • unfodl
  • unfoldd
  • unfolld
  • unnfold
  • unofld

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unfold - 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.

nufold2ufnold2unffold1unflod2unfodl2unfoldd1unfolld1unnfold1
Edit distance from "unfold"

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 "unfold"?
"unfold" is spelled U-N-F-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈfoʊld/.
What does "unfold" mean?
As a verb, "unfold" means: To undo a folding.
What words are commonly confused with "unfold"?
"unfold" is commonly confused with "uphold", "untold", "unload". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unfold"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unfold" is /ʌnˈfoʊld/. 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 "unfold"?
From Middle English unfolden, from Old English unfealdan (“to unfold”), equivalent to un- + fold. 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 "unfold", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

uneasy#16,154vested#16,159texted#16,149ageing#16,172

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

topical9 variantssmokes9 variantsslayer9 variantsSiberia9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "unfold". Here's where to go from here.

  • "unfold" maps to 6 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "uphold". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #16,155 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "U" letter cohort. U–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list