unique

/juːˈniːk/

//juːˈniːk// adj

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

"unique" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unique” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,845. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,845
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unique · unique · English

unique · rank #1,845 · 7 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,845
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH treat

Nearest frequency peer: treat (-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 “unique”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “unique” 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).

unique vs unite
67% similar
unique vs untrue
67% similar
unique vs uniquely
75% similar

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

Key facts for unique
PropertyValue
Headwordunique
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/juːˈniːk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,845
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unique”

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).uniquelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “treat” (#1,844), “variety” (#1,846), “thoughts” (#1,843). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unique” is #1,845. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around unique (IPA /juːˈniːk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,845 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for unique, with forms such as "nuique", "uinque", and "uniqeu". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "unite", "untrue", "uniquely", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French unique. Piecewise doublet of any. The correct English form is unique, spelled U-N-I-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched.
  2. 2
    Of a feature, such that only one holder has it.
  3. 3
    Particular, characteristic.
  4. 4
    Rare or unusual.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Every person has a unique life, therefore every person has a unique journey.
  2. Perhaps the reader will wonder why we have placed our " beings " on a sphere rather than on another closed surface. But this choice has its justification in the fact that, of all closed surfaces, the sphere is unique in possessing the property that all points on it are equivalent.

Etymology

Borrowed from French unique. Piecewise doublet of any.

Synonyms

aloneazygousincomparablematchlessnonpareilpeerlesssingularsui generisunequaleduniqueunparalleledunmatchedunrivalled

Antonyms

commonnormal

This word in other languages

único(Español)unique(Français)einzigartig(Deutsch)único(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuique
  • uinque
  • uniqeu
  • uniqque
  • uniuqe
  • unnique
  • unqiue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unique - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nuique2uinque2uniqeu2uniqque1uniuqe2unnique1unqiue2
Edit distance from "unique"

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 "unique"?
"unique" is spelled U-N-I-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /juːˈniːk/.
What does "unique" mean?
As an adjective, "unique" means: Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched.
What words are commonly confused with "unique"?
"unique" is commonly confused with "unite", "untrue", "uniquely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unique"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unique" is /juːˈniːk/. 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 "unique"?
Borrowed from French unique. Piecewise doublet of any. 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 "unique", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bigger#1,853paying#1,834Mexico#1,832images#1,830

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

treat7 variantsyours7 variantsyouth7 variantsoffers7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list