unluckily

/ʌnˈlʌkɪli/

//ʌnˈlʌkɪli// adv

"unluckily" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unluckily” is uncommon English (frequency #80,086 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,086
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Without luck; unfortunately.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unluckily · unluckily · English

unluckily · rank #80,086 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,086
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unipolar

Nearest frequency peer: unipolar (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “unluckily”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “unluckily” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unluckily
PropertyValue
Headwordunluckily
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ʌnˈlʌkɪli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#80,086
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unluckily” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).unluckilyfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “unipolar” (#80,085), “unhurried” (#80,084), “unfrozen” (#80,083). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unluckily” is #80,086. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unluckily is uncommon English at frequency #80,086 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ʌnˈlʌkɪli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Without luck; unfortunately.".

Zero misspellings are on record for unluckily in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From unlucky + -ly or un- + luckily. The correct English form is unluckily, spelled U-N-L-U-C-K-I-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Without luck; unfortunately.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They say that Ngoc hoang sent a messenger from heaven to men to say that when they reached old age they should change their skins and live for ever, but that when serpents grew old they must die. The messenger came down to earth and said, rightly enough, "When man is old he shall cast his skin; but when serpents are old they shall die and be laid in coffi…
  2. […] where Hercules and Omphale having changed garments, he lying in his wives clothes, and ſhe in his Lions skin, made the luſtfull God mistake ſo unluckily, […]

Etymology

From unlucky + -ly or un- + luckily.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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); 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 "unluckily"?
"unluckily" is spelled U-N-L-U-C-K-I-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈlʌkɪli/.
What does "unluckily" mean?
As an adverb, "unluckily" means: Without luck; unfortunately.
How do you pronounce "unluckily"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unluckily" is /ʌnˈlʌkɪli/. 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 "unluckily"?
From unlucky + -ly or un- + luckily. 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 "unluckily", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list