unnerved

adj

"unnerved" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unnerved” is uncommon English (frequency #52,700 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,700
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Deprived of courage, strength, confidence, self-control, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unnerved · unnerved · English

unnerved · rank #52,700 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,700
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unknowing

Nearest frequency peer: unknowing (-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 “unnerved”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unnerved
PropertyValue
Headwordunnerved
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#52,700
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unnerved” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).unnervedfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “unknowing” (#52,699), “untie” (#52,701), “unfavorably” (#52,697). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unnerved” is #52,700. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unnerved is uncommon English at frequency #52,700 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Deprived of courage, strength, confidence, self-control, etc.".

Zero misspellings are on record for unnerved in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is unnerved, spelled U-N-N-E-R-V-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Deprived of courage, strength, confidence, self-control, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. `Surely he dieth even now.' `True,' she said, with a start. `Oh, why did I not come before! I am unnerved - my hand trembles, even mine - and yet it is very easy.'
  2. […]Wrapped in around itself and self-befriended, His science needn't get him so unnerved. He had been too all out , too much extended . He slapped his breast to verify his purse And hugged himself for all his universe . […]

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 "unnerved"?
"unnerved" is spelled U-N-N-E-R-V-E-D.
What does "unnerved" mean?
As an adjective, "unnerved" means: Deprived of courage, strength, confidence, self-control, etc.
What language does "unnerved" come from?
"unnerved" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 "unnerved", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list