unmerited

/ˌʌnˈmɛɹɪtɪd/

//ˌʌnˈmɛɹɪtɪd// adj

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not merited.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unmerited · unmerited · English

unmerited · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 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 unmerited
PropertyValue
Headwordunmerited
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌʌnˈmɛɹɪtɪd/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unmerited” in English

unmeritedranks 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

unmerited is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌʌnˈmɛɹɪtɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Not merited.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for unmerited, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + merited. The correct English form is unmerited, spelled U-N-M-E-R-I-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not merited.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She was tempted to leave him with his illusions. Something in her nature, however, caviled at this unmerited encomium.
  2. Since then the bibliography on the central question it addressed—the relationship between nature and the absolutely unmerited destination of us to the face-to-face vision of God—has diminished considerably in volume.

Etymology

From un- + merited.

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 "unmerited"?
"unmerited" is spelled U-N-M-E-R-I-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌnˈmɛɹɪtɪd/.
What does "unmerited" mean?
As an adjective, "unmerited" means: Not merited.
How do you pronounce "unmerited"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unmerited" is /ˌʌnˈmɛɹɪtɪd/. 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 "unmerited"?
From un- + merited. 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