unsafe

/ʌnˈseɪf/

//ʌnˈseɪf// adj

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

The verdict

“unsafe” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,818. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,818
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not safe (various senses); dangerous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unsafe · unsafe · English

unsafe · rank #11,818 · 8 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,818
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH tutor

Nearest frequency peer: tutor (-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 “unsafe”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “unsafe” 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).

unsafe vs usage
67% similar
unsafe vs unsee
67% similar
unsafe vs unsure
67% similar

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

Key facts for unsafe
PropertyValue
Headwordunsafe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈseɪf/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,818
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unsafe”

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).unsafelands 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 “tutor” (#11,817), “verge” (#11,819), “tuning” (#11,816). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unsafe” is #11,818. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around unsafe (IPA /ʌnˈseɪf/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,818 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not safe (various senses); dangerous.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for unsafe, with forms such as "nusafe", "unasfe", and "unnsafe". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "usage", "unsee", "unsure", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- (not) + safe. The correct English form is unsafe, spelled U-N-S-A-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not safe (various senses); dangerous.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For much the same reasons that safe languages are preferred over unsafe languages, these powerful---but unsafe---capabilities in Java should be restricted.
  2. "RMT has made it clear that our members have a right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions, and the union will be closely monitoring the situation. [...]"

Etymology

From un- (not) + safe.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nusafe
  • unasfe
  • unnsafe
  • unsaef
  • unsaffe
  • unsfae
  • unssafe
  • usnafe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unsafe - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

nusafe2unasfe2unnsafe1unsaef2unsaffe1unsfae2unssafe1usnafe2
Edit distance from "unsafe"

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 "unsafe"?
"unsafe" is spelled U-N-S-A-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈseɪf/.
What does "unsafe" mean?
As an adjective, "unsafe" means: Not safe (various senses); dangerous.
What words are commonly confused with "unsafe"?
"unsafe" is commonly confused with "usage", "unsee", "unsure". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unsafe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unsafe" is /ʌnˈseɪf/. 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 "unsafe"?
From un- (not) + safe. 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 "unsafe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list