unfriend
/ˈʌnfɹɛnd/noun, verb
unfriend is spelled U-N-F-R-I-E-N-D: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, unfriend means “One who is not a friend; an enemy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of unfriend is unfriends.
How many letters and syllables are in unfriend?
| Letters | 8: U-N-F-R-I-E-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 68,248th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is unfriend?
Unfriend appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th 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 unfriend?
- US /ˈʌnfɹɛnd/
As a verb (“To sever as friends”): /ʌnˈfɹɛnd/.
Unfriend has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unfriend.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unfriend2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with unfriend
Also written: un-friend (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of unfriend
- unfriends plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- un-friend
- unfriending participle, present
- unfriended participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unfriend mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who is not a friend; an enemy.
verb
- 1
rareTo sever as friends.
- 2
To defriend; to remove from one's friends list (e.g. on a social networking website).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unfriend in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to remove from one's friends list:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | entfreunden |
| Spanish | desamistarse |
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 unfriend come from?
From Middle English unfreend, onfrend, equivalent to un- (noun/adjective prefix) + friend. Cognate with Scots unfrend (“unfriend”). Compare Old English unfriþmann, unwine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).