unfriendly
/ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/
"unfriendly" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“unfriendly” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,630 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #25,630
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not friendly; hostile; mean.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | unfriendly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #25,630 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “unfriendly” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for unfriendly is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,630 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for unfriendly, with forms such as "nufriendly", "ufnriendly", and "unffriendly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unfrendly, unfrendli, unfrendely, from Old English *unfrēondlīċ (suggested by derivative unfrēondlīċe (“in an unfriendly manner; unfriendly”, adverb)), equivalent to un- + friendly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uunfrüntelk, uunfjuntelk… The correct English form is unfriendly, spelled U-N-F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y.
Definition
- 1Not friendly; hostile; mean.
- 2Unfavourable.
Etymology
From Middle English unfrendly, unfrendli, unfrendely, from Old English *unfrēondlīċ (suggested by derivative unfrēondlīċe (“in an unfriendly manner; unfriendly”, adverb)), equivalent to un- + friendly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uunfrüntelk, uunfjuntelk (“unfriendly”), West Frisian ûnfreonlik (“unfriendly”), Dutch onvriendelijk (“unfriendly”), German Low German unfrünnelk (“unfriendly”), German unfreundlich (“unfriendly”), Faroese ófryntligur (“unfriendly”), Icelandic ófrýnilegur (“ugly; disturbing”).
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: nufriendly,ufnriendly,unffriendly,unfirendly,unfreindly,unfriednly,unfrienddly,unfriendlly,unfriendlyy,unfriendyl,unfrienldy,unfrienndly,unfrinedly,unfrriendly,unnfriendly,unrfiendly
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unfriendly - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "unfriendly"?
What does "unfriendly" mean?
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Using “unfriendly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-N-F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.