unsportsmanlike

adj

"unsportsmanlike" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unsportsmanlike” is uncommon English (frequency #55,168 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,168
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Violating the accepted standards of sportsmanship.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unsportsmanlike · unsportsmanlike · English

unsportsmanlike · rank #55,168 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,168
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unrefined

Nearest frequency peer: unrefined (-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 “unsportsmanlike”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unsportsmanlike
PropertyValue
Headwordunsportsmanlike
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters15
Frequency rank#55,168
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unsportsmanlike” 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).unsportsmanlikefalls 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: “unrefined” (#55,167), “uppercase” (#55,169), “unfollow” (#55,166). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unsportsmanlike” is #55,168. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unsportsmanlike is uncommon English at frequency #55,168 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Violating the accepted standards of sportsmanship.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for unsportsmanlike, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + sportsmanlike. The correct English form is unsportsmanlike, spelled U-N-S-P-O-R-T-S-M-A-N-L-I-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Violating the accepted standards of sportsmanship.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The ATP rulebook defines unsportsmanlike conduct as “any misconduct by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the success of a tournament, ATP and/or the sport” and carries a fine of up to $20,000.

Etymology

From un- + sportsmanlike.

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

How do you spell "unsportsmanlike"?
"unsportsmanlike" is spelled U-N-S-P-O-R-T-S-M-A-N-L-I-K-E.
What does "unsportsmanlike" mean?
As an adjective, "unsportsmanlike" means: Violating the accepted standards of sportsmanship.
What is the origin of the word "unsportsmanlike"?
From un- + sportsmanlike. 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 "unsportsmanlike", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 15 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list