unlettered

adj

"unlettered" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not instructed in letters; not educated, not well-read; unable to read.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unlettered · unlettered · English

unlettered · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 unlettered
PropertyValue
Headwordunlettered
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unlettered” in English

unletteredsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

unlettered is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for unlettered, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + lettered. The correct English form is unlettered, spelled U-N-L-E-T-T-E-R-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not instructed in letters; not educated, not well-read; unable to read.
  2. 2
    Not expressed in or marked with letters.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]that vnletered ſmall knowing ſoule[…]
  2. Hannibal, as a city, may have many sins to answer for, but ingratitude is not one of them, or reverence for the great men she has produced, and as the years go by her greatest son, Mark Twain, or S. L. Clemens as a few of the unlettered call him, grows in the estimation and regard of the residents of the town he made famous and the town that made him famous.

Etymology

From un- + lettered.

This word in other languages

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 "unlettered"?
"unlettered" is spelled U-N-L-E-T-T-E-R-E-D.
What does "unlettered" mean?
As an adjective, "unlettered" means: Not instructed in letters; not educated, not well-read; unable to read.
What is the origin of the word "unlettered"?
From un- + lettered. 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