unintentional

/ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/

//ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl// adj

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

"unintentional" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unintentional” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,943. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,943
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
19
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not intended or deliberate; inadvertent; unwitting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unintentional · unintentional · English

unintentional · rank #24,943 · 19 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #24,943
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unilaterally

Nearest frequency peer: unilaterally (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “unintentional”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “unintentional” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

unintentional vs unintentionally
87% similar

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

Key facts for unintentional
PropertyValue
Headwordunintentional
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/
Letters13
Frequency rank#24,943
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unintentional”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).unintentionallands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “unilaterally” (#24,942), “unspeakable” (#24,944), “unharmed” (#24,941). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unintentional” is #24,943. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around unintentional (IPA /ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #24,943 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not intended or deliberate; inadvertent; unwitting.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for unintentional, with forms such as "nuintentional", "uinntentional", and "uninetntional". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "unintentionally", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + intentional. The correct English form is unintentional, spelled U-N-I-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not intended or deliberate; inadvertent; unwitting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how unintentional appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Review of systems was positive for unintentional weight gain of 13.5 kilograms in the last eight months, excessive fatigue, fever, difficulty focusing, one episode of painful oral ulcer on the roof of her mouth, change in the hair texture with nonscarring alopecia, shortness of breath with exertion, and constipation.

Etymology

From un- + intentional.

Synonyms

incidentalunintendedaccidentaldesignlessinadvertentinvoluntaryundesignedunintentionalunplannedunpurposedunwitting

Antonyms

intentional

This word in other languages

inintencionado(Español)inintentionnel(Français)unabsichtlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuintentional
  • uinntentional
  • uninetntional
  • uninntentional
  • unintenitonal
  • unintenntional
  • unintentinoal
  • unintentioanl
  • unintentionall
  • unintentionla
  • unintentionnal
  • unintentoinal
  • unintenttional
  • unintetnional
  • unintnetional
  • uninttentional
  • unitnentional
  • unnintentional
  • unnitentional

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nuintentional2uinntentional2uninetntional2uninntentional1unintenitonal2unintenntional1unintentinoal2unintentioanl2
Edit distance from "unintentional"

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 "unintentional"?
"unintentional" is spelled U-N-I-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/.
What does "unintentional" mean?
As an adjective, "unintentional" means: Not intended or deliberate; inadvertent; unwitting.
What words are commonly confused with "unintentional"?
"unintentional" is commonly confused with "unintentionally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unintentional"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unintentional" is /ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/. 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 "unintentional"?
From un- + intentional. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "unintentional", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

contraceptive#25,019hydroelectric#25,095participatory#25,166refurbishment#25,184

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

affectionately19 variantsChesterfield19 variantsconstipation19 variantscondensation19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list