ungodly

/ʌnˈɡɒdli/

//ʌnˈɡɒdli// adj

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

"ungodly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ungodly” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #32,638 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#32,638
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ungodly vs unholy
71% similar

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

Key facts for ungodly
PropertyValue
Headwordungodly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈɡɒdli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#32,638
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ungodly” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ungodly lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ungodly is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʌnˈɡɒdli/. Corpus data places it at rank #32,638 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for ungodly, with forms such as "nugodly", "ugnodly", and "ungdoly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "unholy", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ungodli [and other forms], from un- (prefix meaning ‘not’), + godli (“belonging to God; resembling God, godlike”). Godli is derived from Old English godlīċ (“divine, godlike; godly”), from god (“god”) + -līċ (“suffix forming adjectives m… The correct English form is ungodly, spelled U-N-G-O-D-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings.
  2. 2
    Immoral, sinful, or wicked.
  3. 3
    Extreme; unreasonable.

Etymology

From Middle English ungodli [and other forms], from un- (prefix meaning ‘not’), + godli (“belonging to God; resembling God, godlike”). Godli is derived from Old English godlīċ (“divine, godlike; godly”), from god (“god”) + -līċ (“suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘characteristic of, pertaining to’”). The English word may be analysed as un- + godly, and is cognate with Middle Dutch ongodelijc (modern Dutch ongoddelijk), Middle High German ungötlich (modern German ungöttlich), Old Norse óguðligr (“ungodly”) (Danish ugudelig, Icelandic óguðlegur), Swedish ogudlig.

This word in other languages

impío(Español)impie(Français)unchristlich(Deutsch)ímpio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nugodly,ugnodly,ungdoly,unggodly,ungoddly,ungodlly,ungodlyy,ungodyl,ungoldy,unngodly,unogdly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nugodly2ugnodly2ungdoly2unggodly1ungoddly1ungodlly1ungodlyy1ungodyl2
Edit distance from "ungodly"

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 "ungodly"?
"ungodly" is spelled U-N-G-O-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈɡɒdli/.
What does "ungodly" mean?
As an adjective, "ungodly" means: Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings.
What words are commonly confused with "ungodly"?
"ungodly" is commonly confused with "unholy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ungodly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ungodly" is /ʌnˈɡɒdli/. 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 "ungodly"?
From Middle English ungodli [and other forms], from un- (prefix meaning ‘not’), + godli (“belonging to God; resembling God, godlike”). Godli is derived from Old English godlīċ (“divine, godlike; godly”), from god (“god”) + -līċ (“suffix forming ad... 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.

Using “ungodly”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-G-O-D-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ʌnˈɡɒdli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “unholy” - see the side-by-side comparison. ungodly vs unholy
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list