unravel
un·rav·el/(ˌ)ʌnˈɹævəl/verb
unravel is spelled U-N-R-A-V-E-L: 7 letters and 3 syllables (un·rav·el). It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, unravel means “To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unravel?
| Letters | 7: U-N-R-A-V-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: un·rav·el |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is unravel?
Unravel appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st 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 unravel?
- UK /(ˌ)ʌnˈɹævəl/
- British /(ˌ)ʌnˈɹavəl/
- /(ˌ)ʊnˈɹavəl/
Unravel has 3 syllables, split un·rav·el in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unravel.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with unravel
Also written: unraveled, unravelling.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of unravel
- unravels present, singular, he/she/it
- unraveling US, participle, present
- unravelling UK, participle, present
- unraveled US, participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- unravelled UK, participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unravel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
Mother couldn’t unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it.
- 2
To separate the threads of (something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric).
Stop playing with the seam of the tablecloth! You’ll unravel it.
- 3
To separate the connected or united parts of (something); to throw (something) into disorder; to confound, to confuse, to disintegrate.
to unravel the broad consensus which was created
- 4
To clear (something) from complication or difficulty; to investigate and solve (a mystery, a problem, etc.); to disentangle, to unfold, to work out.
to unravel the confusion to unravel a plot
- 5
obsoleteTo reverse or undo (something); to annul, to negate.
- 6
To become no longer ravelled or tangled.
- 7
Of threads: to become separated from something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric; also, of something knitted or woven: to separate into threads; to come apart.
- 8
Of a thing: to have its connected or united parts separated; to be thrown into disorder; to become confused or undone; to collapse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unravel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | démêler, dénouer, effiler , résoudre |
| German | aufdröseln, auftrennen, auseinanderdröseln, entwirren , ausfasern |
| Portuguese | desemaranhar , desfazer-se |
| Spanish | desenmarañar, desenredar, deshilar |
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 unravel come from?
From un- (suffix denoting the inverse of the specified action) + ravel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).