# unlawful

> English word · Adjective · frequency rank #10,960

## Definitions
1. Prohibited; not permitted by law (either civil or criminal law; see illegal)

## Etymology
From Middle English unlawful; equivalent to un- + lawful.

## Easily confused with
- **unlawfully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unlawful-vs-unlawfully)

## Common misspellings (12)
`nulawful`, `ulnawful`, `unalwful`, `unlafwul`, `unlawfful`, `unlawflu`, `unlawfull`, `unlawufl`, `unlawwful`, `unllawful`, `unlwaful`, `unnlawful`

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