unfriendly

/ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/

//ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li// adj

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

"unfriendly" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unfriendly” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,630. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,630
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not friendly; hostile; mean.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unfriendly · unfriendly · English

unfriendly · rank #25,630 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,630
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH underlined

Nearest frequency peer: underlined (-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 “unfriendly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “unfriendly” 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
Key facts for unfriendly
PropertyValue
Headwordunfriendly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/
Letters10
Frequency rank#25,630
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unfriendly”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).unfriendlylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “underlined” (#25,629), “undercut” (#25,628), “unlicensed” (#25,632). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unfriendly” is #25,630. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around unfriendly (IPA /ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #25,630 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Not friendly; hostile; mean.
  2. 2
    Unfavourable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Shrekkies will notice that the musical is going off-piste from the film right from the start when the curtain rises to reveal a seven-year-old Shrek turfed out into an unfriendly world by his parents.
  2. The reputations of our universities and our research base are already under threat because of the fallout from the EU referendum result, which is making the UK an unfriendlier place for overseas scholars and students, as well as cutting off access to an important stream of research funding and to a vibrant and well-developed ecosystem for collaborative work.

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

friendly

This word in other languages

antipático(Español)inamical(Français)unfreundlich(Deutsch)hostil(Português)

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.

nufriendly2ufnriendly2unffriendly1unfirendly2unfreindly2unfriednly2unfrienddly1unfriendlly1
Edit distance from "unfriendly"

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"?
"unfriendly" is spelled U-N-F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/.
What does "unfriendly" mean?
As an adjective, "unfriendly" means: Not friendly; hostile; mean.
What are common misspellings of "unfriendly"?
Common misspellings include "nufriendly", "ufnriendly", "unffriendly", "unfirendly", "unfreindly". The correct spelling is "unfriendly".
How do you pronounce "unfriendly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unfriendly" is /ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)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 "unfriendly"?
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, u... 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 "unfriendly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

underlined#25,629unlicensed#25,632thermostat#25,613supermodel#25,601

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

aeronautical16 variantsBridgeport16 variantsschoolgirl16 variantsscaffolding16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list