unserviceable

adj

"unserviceable" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unserviceable” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unusable; of no use.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unserviceable · unserviceable · English

unserviceable · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for unserviceable
PropertyValue
Headwordunserviceable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unserviceable” in English

unserviceableranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unserviceable is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for unserviceable in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + serviceable. The correct English form is unserviceable, spelled U-N-S-E-R-V-I-C-E-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unusable; of no use.
  2. 2
    Of machinery, etc.: not working.
  3. 3
    Impractical.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1591, Walter Raleigh, A Report of the Truth of the Fight about the Iles of Açores, this last Sommer betwixt the Reuenge, one of her Maiesties Shippes, and an Armada of the King of Spaine, London: William Ponsonbie; Riverside Press, 1902, And that which was most to our disaduantage, the one halfe part of the men of euerie shippe sicke, and vtterly vnseruic…
  2. First Soldier. [Reads] ‘First demand of him how many horse the duke is strong.’ What say you to that? / Parolles. Five or six thousand; but very weak and unserviceable: […]

Etymology

From un- + serviceable.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "unserviceable"?
"unserviceable" is spelled U-N-S-E-R-V-I-C-E-A-B-L-E.
What does "unserviceable" mean?
As an adjective, "unserviceable" means: Unusable; of no use.
What is the origin of the word "unserviceable"?
From un- + serviceable. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list