unload
/ʌnˈloʊd/verb
unload is spelled U-N-L-O-A-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, unload means “To remove the load or cargo from (a vehicle, etc.)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unload?
| Letters | 6: U-N-L-O-A-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is unload?
Unload appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 unload?
- UK /ʌnˈləʊd/
- US /ʌnˈloʊd/
Unload has 2 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: En-au-unload.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with unload?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as unload from its last stressed vowel (/oʊd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of unload
- unloads present, singular, he/she/it
- unloading participle, present
- unloaded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unload mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To remove the load or cargo from (a vehicle, etc.).
to unload a ship
- 2
To remove (the load or cargo) from a vehicle, etc.
to unload bales of hay from a truck
- 3
To deposit one's load or cargo.
- 4
To give vent to or express; to unburden oneself of.
to unload on someone
- 5
To remove (something previously loaded) from memory.
- 6
To discharge, pour, or expel.
- 7
To get rid of or dispose of.
- 8
To sell or dispose of (something) with the intent to deceive; to attempt to pass off a counterfeit or inferior product as genuine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unload in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense take off or remove the load from:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décharger |
| German | entladen, ausladen |
| Portuguese | descarregar |
| Spanish | descargar, desfletar, estibar |
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 unload come from?
From un- + load.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).