unhappy
un·hap·py/ʌnˈhæpi/adjective, noun, verb
unhappy is spelled U-N-H-A-P-P-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables (un·hap·py). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,456th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unhappy means “Not happy; sad” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unhappy?
| Letters | 7: U-N-H-A-P-P-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: un·hap·py |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,456th 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 unhappy?
Unhappy appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,456th 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 unhappy?
- /ʌnˈhæpi/
Unhappy has 3 syllables, split un·hap·py in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-unhappy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unhappy
- unhappier comparative
- more unhappy comparative
- unhappiest superlative
- most unhappy superlative
- unhappies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- unhappying participle, present
- unhappied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unhappy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not happy; sad.
I am unhappy.
- 2
Not satisfied; unsatisfied.
An unhappy customer is unlikely to return to your shop.
- 3
datedNot lucky; unlucky.
The doomed lovers must have been born under an unhappy star.
- 4
datedNot suitable; unsuitable.
noun
- 1
A person who is not happy.
Leduc, as is true of many other unhappies, is largely a confessional writer: her subject is herself, and her gift is a driving, vivacious power that turns her incurable, inveterate unhappiness into a series of dramas […]
verb
- 1
To make or become unhappy; to sadden.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unhappy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | malheureux, triste , mécontent |
| German | unglücklich |
| Portuguese | infeliz, triste |
| Spanish | infeliz |
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 unhappy come from?
From Middle English unhappy; equivalent to un- + happy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).