unobtainable

adj

"unobtainable" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unobtainable” is uncommon English (frequency #60,541 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,541
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unable to be obtained: not able to be acquired or reached.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unobtainable · unobtainable · English

unobtainable · rank #60,541 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,541
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unnumbered

Nearest frequency peer: unnumbered (-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 “unobtainable”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unobtainable
PropertyValue
Headwordunobtainable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters12
Frequency rank#60,541
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unobtainable” 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).unobtainablefalls 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: “unnumbered” (#60,540), “unseated” (#60,542), “unhygienic” (#60,539). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unobtainable” is #60,541. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unobtainable is uncommon English at frequency #60,541 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Unable to be obtained: not able to be acquired or reached.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for unobtainable in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + obtainable. The correct English form is unobtainable, spelled U-N-O-B-T-A-I-N-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unable to be obtained: not able to be acquired or reached.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With secondhand bullhead rail almost unobtainable, the NYMR has been forced to go for new flat-bottom rail and orders are being placed; 58 fb rails are already en route to the railway.
  2. Common Goal’s grand ambition is to reach a position where 1% of football’s entire multibillion dollar industry is donated to charity. It might seem an impossible dream – just as a young boy’s fantasy of becoming a top footballer almost always seems unobtainable. But Mata was one of those who fulfilled his footballing dream.

Etymology

From un- + obtainable.

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 "unobtainable"?
"unobtainable" is spelled U-N-O-B-T-A-I-N-A-B-L-E.
What does "unobtainable" mean?
As an adjective, "unobtainable" means: Unable to be obtained: not able to be acquired or reached.
What is the origin of the word "unobtainable"?
From un- + obtainable. 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 "unobtainable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list