unsettle
/ʌnˈsɛtəl/verb
unsettle is spelled U-N-S-E-T-T-L-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,055th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, unsettle means “To make upset or uncomfortable” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unsettle?
| Letters | 8: U-N-S-E-T-T-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 69,055th 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 unsettle?
Unsettle appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,055th 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 unsettle?
- /ʌnˈsɛtəl/
Unsettle has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unsettle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unsettle
- unsettles present, singular, he/she/it
- unsettling participle, present
- unsettled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unsettle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make upset or uncomfortable
Don't unsettle the horses or they'll bolt.
- 2
To bring into disorder or disarray
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unsettle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to make upset or uncomfortable:
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 unsettle come from?
From un- + settle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).