unsavory
/ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/
"unsavory" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“unsavory” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #40,945 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #40,945
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not savory; without flavor.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | unsavory |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #40,945 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “unsavory” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for unsavory is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,945 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for unsavory, with forms such as "nusavory", "unasvory", and "unnsavory". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + savory. The correct English form is unsavory, spelled U-N-S-A-V-O-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Not savory; without flavor.
- 2Of bad taste; distasteful.
- 3Making an activity undesirable.
- 4Disreputable, not respectable, of questionable moral character.
Etymology
From un- + savory.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: nusavory,unasvory,unnsavory,unsaovry,unsavorry,unsavoryy,unsavoyr,unsavroy,unsavvory,unssavory,unsvaory,usnavory
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unsavory - 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.
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 "unsavory"?
What does "unsavory" mean?
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Using “unsavory”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-N-S-A-V-O-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.