unlawfully
/ʌnˈlɔːfəli/adverb
unlawfully is spelled U-N-L-A-W-F-U-L-L-Y: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, unlawfully means “In a manner not conforming to the law” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unlawfully?
| Letters | 10: U-N-L-A-W-F-U-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is unlawfully?
Unlawfully appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce unlawfully?
- /ʌnˈlɔːfəli/
Unlawfully has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unlawfully.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unlawfully
- more unlawfully comparative
- most unlawfully superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unlawfully mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a manner not conforming to the law.
The deceased was unlawfully killed during a riot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unlawfully in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | illégalement |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does unlawfully come from?
From unlawful + -ly or un- + lawfully.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).