unruly

/ʌnˈɹuːli/

//ʌnˈɹuːli// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"unruly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unruly” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,294. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,294
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Wild; uncontrolled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unruly · unruly · English

unruly · rank #26,294 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,294
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unmistakable

Nearest frequency peer: unmistakable (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “unruly”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “unruly” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

unruly vs unholy
67% similar
unruly vs unduly
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for unruly
PropertyValue
Headwordunruly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈɹuːli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,294
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unruly”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).unrulylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “unmistakable” (#26,293), “undoing” (#26,292), “uncompromising” (#26,291). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unruly” is #26,294. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around unruly (IPA /ʌnˈɹuːli/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,294 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Wild; uncontrolled.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for unruly, with forms such as "nuruly", "unnruly", and "unrluy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "unholy", "unduly", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unruly (“unquiet, restless”), equivalent to un- + rule + -ly (compare Middle English ruly, reuli (“subject to a religious rule, regular”)), but also representing a modified continuation of earlier Middle English unrouly, unroly (“unquiet… The correct English form is unruly, spelled U-N-R-U-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Wild; uncontrolled.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The police gathered to contain the unruly mob.
  2. Unruly boys who will not grow up / Must be taken in hand / Unruly girls who will not settle down / They must be taken in hand

Etymology

From Middle English unruly (“unquiet, restless”), equivalent to un- + rule + -ly (compare Middle English ruly, reuli (“subject to a religious rule, regular”)), but also representing a modified continuation of earlier Middle English unrouly, unroly (“unquiet, restless”), equivalent to un- + roolie. The latter is perhaps from or influenced by Old Norse *úróligr, related to Danish urolig (“restless”), Swedish orolig (“restless”), Icelandic órólegur (“agitated”). Compare also Middle English unroo, unro (“unrest”). More at roo.

This word in other languages

revoltoso(Español)désobéissant(Français)unbändig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuruly
  • unnruly
  • unrluy
  • unrruly
  • unrully
  • unrulyy
  • unruyl
  • unurly
  • urnuly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unruly - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nuruly2unnruly1unrluy2unrruly1unrully1unrulyy1unruyl2unurly2
Edit distance from "unruly"

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 "unruly"?
"unruly" is spelled U-N-R-U-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈɹuːli/.
What does "unruly" mean?
As an adjective, "unruly" means: Wild; uncontrolled.
What words are commonly confused with "unruly"?
"unruly" is commonly confused with "unholy", "unduly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unruly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unruly" is /ʌnˈɹuːli/. 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 "unruly"?
From Middle English unruly (“unquiet, restless”), equivalent to un- + rule + -ly (compare Middle English ruly, reuli (“subject to a religious rule, regular”)), but also representing a modified continuation of earlier Middle English unrouly, unroly... 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 "unruly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tundra#26,287wearer#26,305tinged#26,281Sutter#26,274

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Adriana9 variantsslipper9 variantsskillet9 variantsbanish9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list