unsavory
/ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/adjective
unsavory is spelled U-N-S-A-V-O-R-Y: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unsavory means “Not savory; without flavor” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unsavory?
| Letters | 8: U-N-S-A-V-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,703rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is unsavory?
Unsavory appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd 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 unsavory?
- /ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/
Unsavory has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-unsavory.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unsavory
- more unsavory comparative
- most unsavory superlative
- unsavoury UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unsavory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
USNot savory; without flavor.
- 2
USOf bad taste; distasteful.
- 3
USMaking an activity undesirable.
- 4
USDisreputable, not respectable, of questionable moral character.
His unsavory reputation as a mobster came back to haunt him when he ran for mayor of New York.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unsavory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense disreputable:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | douteux |
| German | anrüchig, unappetitlich |
| Portuguese | desagradável, sujo, desonroso, odioso |
| Spanish | desagradable, indeseable |
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 unsavory come from?
From un- + savory.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).