unobtainium
un·ob·tain·i·um/ˌʌn.əbˈteɪ.ni.əm/noun
unobtainium is spelled U-N-O-B-T-A-I-N-I-U-M: 11 letters and 5 syllables (un·ob·tain·i·um). It appears about once in every 41 million words in written English, the 196,618th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, unobtainium means “A fictional material or component which, if it existed, would enable one to easily solve a hard problem” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of unobtainium is unobtainiums.
How many letters and syllables are in unobtainium?
| Letters | 11: U-N-O-B-T-A-I-N-I-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: un·ob·tain·i·um |
| In writing | about once in every 41 million words; the 196,618th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is unobtainium?
Unobtainium appears about once in every 41 million words in written English, the 196,618th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce unobtainium?
- UK /(ˌ)ʌn.ɒbˈteɪ.nɪ.əm/
- UK /-əb-/
- US /ˌʌn.əbˈteɪ.ni.əm/
Unobtainium has 5 syllables, split un·ob·tain·i·um in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unobtanium.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with unobtainium?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as unobtainium from its last stressed vowel (/eɪniəm/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of unobtainium
- unobtainiums plural
- unobtanium
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unobtainium mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A fictional material or component which, if it existed, would enable one to easily solve a hard problem.
- 2
An especially rare material or component that is outrageously expensive or otherwise almost impossible to get hold of.
- 3
A high technology component that is extremely expensive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unobtainium in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense especially rare component almost impossible to get hold of:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Nichtzukriegium, Unbeschaffbarium, Unobtanium |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does unobtainium come from?
From unobtain(able) + -ium (suffix typical of names of atomic elements), modelled after uranium and titanium. Compare also the origin of dysprosium.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).