unfounded

adj

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

"unfounded" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unfounded” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,688. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,688
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having no strong foundation; not based on solid reasons or facts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unfounded · unfounded · English

unfounded · rank #21,688 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,688
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH truthfully

Nearest frequency peer: truthfully (-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 “unfounded”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “unfounded” 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).

unfounded vs unfunded
89% similar
unfounded vs unfolded
78% similar

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

Key facts for unfounded
PropertyValue
Headwordunfounded
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters9
Frequency rank#21,688
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unfounded”

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).unfoundedlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “truthfully” (#21,687), “UNICEF” (#21,689), “trimming” (#21,686). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unfounded” is #21,688. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around unfounded, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #21,688 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for unfounded, with forms such as "nufounded", "ufnounded", and "unffounded". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "unfunded", "unfolded", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + founded. The correct English form is unfounded, spelled U-N-F-O-U-N-D-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having no strong foundation; not based on solid reasons or facts.
  2. 2
    Not having been founded or instituted.
  3. 3
    Bottomless.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an unfounded report; unfounded fears
  2. […] my chiefest design ever since the seventeenth year of my age […] consisted in elaborating such demonstrations in Natural Philosophy, as might serve to unfold the natures of Beings in relation to the Art of Physick, hitherto so uncertain, blind, and unfounded on Art […]

Etymology

From un- + founded.

This word in other languages

infundado(Español)infondé(Français)unbegründet(Deutsch)infundado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nufounded
  • ufnounded
  • unffounded
  • unfonuded
  • unfoudned
  • unfoundde
  • unfoundded
  • unfoundedd
  • unfounedd
  • unfounnded
  • unfuonded
  • unnfounded
  • unofunded

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nufounded2ufnounded2unffounded1unfonuded2unfoudned2unfoundde2unfoundded1unfoundedd1
Edit distance from "unfounded"

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 "unfounded"?
"unfounded" is spelled U-N-F-O-U-N-D-E-D.
What does "unfounded" mean?
As an adjective, "unfounded" means: Having no strong foundation; not based on solid reasons or facts.
What words are commonly confused with "unfounded"?
"unfounded" is commonly confused with "unfunded", "unfolded". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "unfounded"?
From un- + founded. 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 "unfounded", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

uninsured#21,691torturing#21,682summarize#21,675stretcher#21,672

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

stricter13 variantswarcraft13 variantsaccomplice13 variantsarmistice13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list