unfortunately

/ʌnˈfɔː.tjʊ.nət.li/

//ʌnˈfɔː.tjʊ.nət.li// adv

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

"unfortunately" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unfortunately” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,416. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,416
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
20
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Happening through bad luck, or because of some unfortunate event.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unfortunately · unfortunately · English

unfortunately · rank #2,416 · 20 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,416
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH usual

Nearest frequency peer: usual (+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 “unfortunately”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “unfortunately” 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).

unfortunately vs unfortunate
85% similar

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

Key facts for unfortunately
PropertyValue
Headwordunfortunately
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ʌnˈfɔː.tjʊ.nət.li/
Letters13
Frequency rank#2,416
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “unfortunately” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).unfortunatelylands 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 “usual” (#2,417), “typically” (#2,414), “vehicles” (#2,418). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around unfortunately (IPA /ʌnˈfɔː.tjʊ.nət.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #2,416 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for unfortunately, with forms such as "nufortunately", "ufnortunately", and "unffortunately". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "unfortunate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From unfortunate + -ly or un- + fortunately. The correct English form is unfortunately, spelled U-N-F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Happening through bad luck, or because of some unfortunate event.
  2. 2
    Used (as a parenthetical word, often a sentence adverb) to express disappointment, compassion, sorrow, regret, or grief.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He unfortunately placed his hand on a loose brick.
  2. There were an unfortunately large number of misprints.

Etymology

From unfortunate + -ly or un- + fortunately.

Synonyms

unluckilyalasregrettablysadlysad to say

Antonyms

fortunatelyluckily

This word in other languages

desafortunadamente(Español)malheureusement(Français)leider(Deutsch)infelizmente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nufortunately
  • ufnortunately
  • unffortunately
  • unforrtunately
  • unfortnuately
  • unforttunately
  • unfortuantely
  • unfortunaetly
  • unfortunatelly
  • unfortunatelyy
  • unfortunateyl
  • unfortunatley
  • unfortunattely
  • unfortunnately
  • unfortuntaely
  • unforutnately
  • unfotrunately
  • unfrotunately
  • unnfortunately
  • unofrtunately

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nufortunately2ufnortunately2unffortunately1unforrtunately1unfortnuately2unforttunately1unfortuantely2unfortunaetly2
Edit distance from "unfortunately"

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 "unfortunately"?
"unfortunately" is spelled U-N-F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈfɔː.tjʊ.nət.li/.
What does "unfortunately" mean?
As an adverb, "unfortunately" means: Happening through bad luck, or because of some unfortunate event.
What words are commonly confused with "unfortunately"?
"unfortunately" is commonly confused with "unfortunate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unfortunately"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unfortunately" is /ʌnˈfɔː.tjʊ.nət.li/. 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 "unfortunately"?
From unfortunate + -ly or un- + fortunately. 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 "unfortunately", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

opportunities#2,456entertainment#2,482circumstances#2,520approximately#2,281

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

manufacturing20 variantsenvironmental20 variantsinvestigation20 variantsconstruction20 variants

What to do next

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

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "unfortunate". View pair
  • 20 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,416 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