unscrew
"unscrew" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“unscrew” is uncommon English (frequency #56,510 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #56,510
- frequency rank, English
- 1,433
- “U” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To loosen a screw or thing by turning it.
Corpus desk
Index EN-unscrew · unscrew · English
unscrew · rank #56,510 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #56,510
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,433
- PHOTO-FINISH unlearn
Nearest frequency peer: unlearn (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “unscrew”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- unawares
unawares
43,494 corpus weight
- universalism
universalism
43,493 corpus weight
- unlearn
unlearn
43,492 corpus weight
- unscrew
unscrew
43,491 corpus weight
- unsub
unsub
43,490 corpus weight
- valance
valance
43,489 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “unscrew” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | unscrew |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #56,510 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “unscrew” in English
Rare enough to double-check
unscrew is uncommon English at frequency #56,510 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To loosen a screw or thing by turning it.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for unscrew, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + screw. The correct English form is unscrew, spelled U-N-S-C-R-E-W.
Definition
- 1To loosen a screw or thing by turning it.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how unscrew appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I'm having some trouble unscrewing the lid of this jar.
It requires opening a complex lock with a key that also unscrews a bolt six inches long. Unscrewing the bolt itself takes six minutes.
Etymology
From un- + screw.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "unscrew", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).