unheard-of
"unheard-of" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“unheard-of” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Previously unknown; unprecedented.
Corpus desk
Index EN-unheard-of · unheard-of · English
unheard-of · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "U" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | unheard-of |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “unheard-of” in English
Rare enough to double-check
unheard-of is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Previously unknown; unprecedented.".
Zero misspellings are on record for unheard-of in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is unheard-of, spelled U-N-H-E-A-R-D---O-F.
Definition
- 1Previously unknown; unprecedented.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how unheard-of appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He was […] none of your unconscionable blades, requiring impossible chops, and taking unheard-of pickles for granted.
Starvation in the uplands was not an unheard-of thing; […]
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.