unknown

/ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/

//ʌn(ˈn)əʊn// adj

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

"unknown" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unknown” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,870. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,870
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not known; unidentified; not well known.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unknown · unknown · English

unknown · rank #2,870 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,870
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH ultimate

Nearest frequency peer: ultimate (-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 “unknown”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “unknown” 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
Key facts for unknown
PropertyValue
Headwordunknown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,870
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unknown”

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).unknownlands 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 “ultimate” (#2,869), “Wilson” (#2,871), “tries” (#2,868). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unknown” is #2,870. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around unknown (IPA /ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,870 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not known; unidentified; not well known.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for unknown, with forms such as "nuknown", "uknnown", and "unkknown". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known. The correct English form is unknown, spelled U-N-K-N-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not known; unidentified; not well known.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
  2. I suspect that this large and complex military railway system, shrouded in official secrecy for most of its operational life, remains unknown to many people.

Etymology

From Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known.

Synonyms

ignoteknownlessstrangeobscureunascertainedunapprehendedundiscoveredunexplainedunfamiliaruninvestigatedunknownunrecognizedunrevealed

Antonyms

ascertainedfamiliarfamousknownrecognizablerecognizedwell-known

This word in other languages

ignoto(Español)inconnu(Français)unbekannt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuknown
  • uknnown
  • unkknown
  • unknnown
  • unknonw
  • unknownn
  • unknowwn
  • unknwon
  • unkonwn
  • unnknown
  • unnkown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nuknown2uknnown2unkknown1unknnown1unknonw2unknownn1unknowwn1unknwon2
Edit distance from "unknown"

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 "unknown"?
"unknown" is spelled U-N-K-N-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/.
What does "unknown" mean?
As an adjective, "unknown" means: Not known; unidentified; not well known.
What are common misspellings of "unknown"?
Common misspellings include "nuknown", "uknnown", "unkknown", "unknnown", "unknonw". The correct spelling is "unknown".
How do you pronounce "unknown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unknown" is /ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/. 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 "unknown"?
From Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known. 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 "unknown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

today's#2,867battery#2,877somehow#2,863respond#2,857

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

ultimate11 variantsCarolina11 variantsconduct11 variantsdestroy11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list