# unkempt

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌʌnˈkɛmpt/ · frequency rank #45,145

## Definitions
1. Of hair, uncombed, dishevelled.
2. Disorderly; untidy; messy; not kept up.
3. Rough; unpolished.

## Etymology
From earlier unkembed, unkemmed, from Middle English unkempt (“uncombed”), equivalent to un- + kempt. Compare Old Norse úkembdr (uncombed; unkempt"; > Icelandic ókembdur), German ungekämmt (“unkempt”), Dutch ongekamd. More at kemb.

## Common misspellings (11)
`nukempt`, `uknempt`, `unekmpt`, `unkemmpt`, `unkemppt`, `unkemptt`, `unkemtp`, `unkepmt`, `unkkempt`, `unkmept`, `unnkempt`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/unkempt