unmake

/ʌnˈmeɪk/

//ʌnˈmeɪk// verb

"unmake" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To destroy or take apart; to cause (a made article) to lose its nature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unmake · unmake · English

unmake · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 unmake
PropertyValue
Headwordunmake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʌnˈmeɪk/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unmake” in English

unmakeranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

unmake is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ʌnˈmeɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To destroy or take apart; to cause (a made article) to lose its nature.".

No misspelling variants are generated for unmake in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unmaken; equivalent to un- + make. The correct English form is unmake, spelled U-N-M-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To destroy or take apart; to cause (a made article) to lose its nature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Let go the lure The striving to unmake
  2. She was confused. Now that he had worked himself into a snit he'd be angry if she unmade the bed and did what he wanted. If she didn't make it properly, he'd be resentful. She stripped the bed. She'd change the linens.

Etymology

From Middle English unmaken; equivalent to un- + make.

Synonyms

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 "unmake"?
"unmake" is spelled U-N-M-A-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈmeɪk/.
What does "unmake" mean?
As a verb, "unmake" means: To destroy or take apart; to cause (a made article) to lose its nature.
How do you pronounce "unmake"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unmake" is /ʌnˈmeɪk/. 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 "unmake"?
From Middle English unmaken; equivalent to un- + make. 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