unselfishly

adv

"unselfishly" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unselfishly” is uncommon English (frequency #96,619 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,619
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an unselfish manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unselfishly · unselfishly · English

unselfishly · rank #96,619 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,619
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unobservable

Nearest frequency peer: unobservable (-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 “unselfishly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “unselfishly” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unselfishly
PropertyValue
Headwordunselfishly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters11
Frequency rank#96,619
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unselfishly” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).unselfishlyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “unobservable” (#96,618), “unsexy” (#96,620), “unsheathed” (#96,621). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unselfishly” is #96,619. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unselfishly is uncommon English at frequency #96,619 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In an unselfish manner.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for unselfishly, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + selfish + -ly. The correct English form is unselfishly, spelled U-N-S-E-L-F-I-S-H-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an unselfish manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The brutal insouciance of her fellow immortals — whether her sharp-tongued mother, Perse; or chilly Hermes; or righteous Athena enraged — proves increasingly alien to this thoughtful and compassionate woman who learns to love unselfishly.

Etymology

From un- + selfish + -ly.

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 "unselfishly"?
"unselfishly" is spelled U-N-S-E-L-F-I-S-H-L-Y.
What does "unselfishly" mean?
As an adverb, "unselfishly" means: In an unselfish manner.
What is the origin of the word "unselfishly"?
From un- + selfish + -ly. 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 "unselfishly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list