ungainly
un·gain·ly/ʌnˈɡeɪnli/adjective, noun
ungainly is spelled U-N-G-A-I-N-L-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables (un·gain·ly). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ungainly means “Clumsy; lacking grace” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ungainly?
| Letters | 8: U-N-G-A-I-N-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: un·gain·ly |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 58,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ungainly?
Ungainly appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd 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 ungainly?
- US /ʌnˈɡeɪnli/
- Australia /anˈɡæɪnli/
Ungainly has 3 syllables, split un·gain·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-ungainly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ungainly?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ungainly from its last stressed vowel (/eɪnli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ungainly
- ungainlier comparative
- more ungainly comparative
- ungainliest superlative
- most ungainly superlative
- ungainlie
- ungainlies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ungainly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Clumsy; lacking grace.
His body, though thin, looked oversized and ungainly, his limbs poorly knit together; he appeared to conquer his tendency to awkwardness by making only the smallest, most deliberate of movements.
- 2
Gangling
- 3
Difficult to move or to manage; unwieldy.
- 4
obsoleteUnsuitable; unprofitable.
noun
- 1
rareAn ungainly person or thing.
adverb
- 1
obsoleteIn an ungainly or unbecoming manner; improperly; undeservedly, unduly; unsuitably.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ungainly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | maladroit |
| German | plump, unansehnlich, unelegant, ungelenk, ungraziös, unschön |
| Spanish | desgarbado , revuelto |
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 ungainly come from?
From un- (“not”) + gainly (“graceful; becoming; proper, suitable; gracious, kindly”) (from gain (“dexterous; convenient, easy, handy; suitable”), from Old Norse gegn (“fit, serviceable; direct, straight; honest; kindly”) + -ly (suffix forming adjectives from nouns)). Compare dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk ugjegnleg (“stubborn; troublesome”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).