unicellular

/ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə(ɹ)/

//ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə(ɹ)// adj

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

"unicellular" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unicellular” is uncommon English (frequency #74,615 among 23,789 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,615
frequency rank, English
23,789
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Describing any microorganism that has a single cell.

Key facts for unicellular
PropertyValue
Headwordunicellular
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə(ɹ)/
Letters11
Frequency rank#74,615
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “unicellular” 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). unicellular lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

unicellular is uncommon English at frequency #74,615 among 23,789 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Describing any microorganism that has a single cell.".

unicellular doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From uni- + cellular. The correct English form is unicellular, spelled U-N-I-C-E-L-L-U-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Describing any microorganism that has a single cell.

Etymology

From uni- + cellular.

This word in other languages

unicelular(Español)unicellulaire(Français)einzellig(Deutsch)

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 "unicellular"?
"unicellular" is spelled U-N-I-C-E-L-L-U-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə(ɹ)/.
What does "unicellular" mean?
As an adjective, "unicellular" means: Describing any microorganism that has a single cell.
How do you pronounce "unicellular"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unicellular" is /ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə(ɹ)/. 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 "unicellular"?
From uni- + cellular. 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 “unicellular”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-I-C-E-L-L-U-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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