unstressed

/ʌnˈstɹɛst/

//ʌnˈstɹɛst// adj

"unstressed" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unstressed” is uncommon English (frequency #65,602 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,602
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - not stressed or accentuated

Corpus desk

Index EN-unstressed · unstressed · English

unstressed · rank #65,602 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,602
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unspoilt

Nearest frequency peer: unspoilt (-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 “unstressed”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unstressed
PropertyValue
Headwordunstressed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈstɹɛst/
Letters10
Frequency rank#65,602
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unstressed” 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).unstressedfalls 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: “unspoilt” (#65,601), “unsolvable” (#65,600), “unrecognised” (#65,599). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unstressed” is #65,602. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unstressed is uncommon English at frequency #65,602 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ʌnˈstɹɛst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

unstressed doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + stressed. The correct English form is unstressed, spelled U-N-S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    not stressed or accentuated
  2. 2
    not subject to stress

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Type D half-lines ending in words of this type are analysed by Hutcheson as ending in two completely unstressed syllables. That analysis must be descriptively correct for, say, the 10th cent.; whether it would have fitted the facts in the 8th cent. is much less clear.

Etymology

From un- + stressed.

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 "unstressed"?
"unstressed" is spelled U-N-S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈstɹɛst/.
What does "unstressed" mean?
As an adjective, "unstressed" means: not stressed or accentuated
How do you pronounce "unstressed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unstressed" is /ʌnˈstɹɛst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "unstressed"?
From un- + stressed. 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 "unstressed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list