unmerciful

/ʌnˈmɝsɪfl̩/

//ʌnˈmɝsɪfl̩// adj

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

The verdict

“unmerciful” 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 showing mercy

Corpus desk

Index EN-unmerciful · unmerciful · English

unmerciful · 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 unmerciful
PropertyValue
Headwordunmerciful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈmɝsɪfl̩/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unmerciful” in English

unmercifulfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

unmerciful is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ʌnˈmɝsɪfl̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "not showing mercy".

No misspelling variants are generated for unmerciful in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unmerciful, unmercifull; equivalent to un- + merciful. The correct English form is unmerciful, spelled U-N-M-E-R-C-I-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    not showing mercy

Etymology

From Middle English unmerciful, unmercifull; equivalent to un- + merciful.

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 "unmerciful"?
"unmerciful" is spelled U-N-M-E-R-C-I-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈmɝsɪfl̩/.
What does "unmerciful" mean?
As an adjective, "unmerciful" means: not showing mercy
How do you pronounce "unmerciful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unmerciful" is /ʌnˈmɝsɪfl̩/. 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 "unmerciful"?
From Middle English unmerciful, unmercifull; equivalent to un- + merciful. 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