unjam

/ʌnˈd͡ʒæm/

//ʌnˈd͡ʒæm// verb

"unjam" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unjam” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove a blockage from; to release from being jammed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unjam · unjam · English

unjam · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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.

Key facts for unjam
PropertyValue
Headwordunjam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʌnˈd͡ʒæm/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unjam” in English

unjamranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unjam is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ʌnˈd͡ʒæm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To remove a blockage from; to release from being jammed.".

unjam doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + jam. The correct English form is unjam, spelled U-N-J-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove a blockage from; to release from being jammed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The printer is still on, which is good because you may need to access features, unjam the printer, or do things that you otherwise cannot do while the thing is printing.

Etymology

From un- + jam.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "unjam"?
"unjam" is spelled U-N-J-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈd͡ʒæm/.
What does "unjam" mean?
As a verb, "unjam" means: To remove a blockage from; to release from being jammed.
How do you pronounce "unjam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unjam" is /ʌnˈd͡ʒæm/. 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 "unjam"?
From un- + jam. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list