unfortunate
un·for·tu·nate/ʌnˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt/adjective, noun
unfortunate is spelled U-N-F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables (un·for·tu·nate). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,878th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unfortunate means “Not favored by fortune” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unfortunate?
| Letters | 11: U-N-F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: un·for·tu·nate |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,878th 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; 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 unfortunate?
Unfortunate appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,878th 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 unfortunate?
- UK /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/
- UK /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nət/
- US /ʌnˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt/
Unfortunate has 4 syllables, split un·for·tu·nate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unfortunate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with unfortunate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as unfortunate from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹtʃənɪt/):
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 unfortunate
- more unfortunate comparative
- most unfortunate superlative
- unfortunates plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unfortunate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not favored by fortune.
- 2
Marked or accompanied by or resulting in misfortune.
- 3
Regrettable or unsuitable.
noun
- 1
An unlucky person; one who has fallen into bad circumstances.
- 2
archaicA prostitute.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate unfortunate?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of unfortunate: unfort.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unfortunate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | infortuné , malencontreux |
| German | unglücklich, unglückselig |
| Portuguese | desafortunado, azarado, infeliz |
| Spanish | desafortunado, desgraciado |
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 unfortunate come from?
From un- + fortunate, doublet of infortunate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).