unsure

adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"unsure" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unsure” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,471. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,471
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - uncertain, ambivalent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unsure · unsure · English

unsure · rank #10,471 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,471
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unreasonable

Nearest frequency peer: unreasonable (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “unsure”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “unsure” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

unsure vs usurp
67% similar
unsure vs upsurge
71% similar
unsure vs undue
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for unsure
PropertyValue
Headwordunsure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,471
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unsure”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).unsurelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “unreasonable” (#10,470), “upwards” (#10,472), “UCLA” (#10,469). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unsure” is #10,471. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around unsure, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,471 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for unsure, with forms such as "nusure", "unnsure", and "unsrue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "usurp", "upsurge", "undue", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unsure, equivalent to un- + sure. Piecewise doublet of insecure and unsecure. The correct English form is unsure, spelled U-N-S-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    uncertain, ambivalent.
  2. 2
    unstable or precarious

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'm still unsure whether to attend the wedding.
  2. unsure footing

Etymology

From Middle English unsure, equivalent to un- + sure. Piecewise doublet of insecure and unsecure.

Synonyms

agnostic

This word in other languages

incertain(Français)unsicher(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nusure
  • unnsure
  • unsrue
  • unssure
  • unsuer
  • unsurre
  • unusre
  • usnure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unsure - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nusure2unnsure1unsrue2unssure1unsuer2unsurre1unusre2usnure2
Edit distance from "unsure"

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 "unsure"?
"unsure" is spelled U-N-S-U-R-E.
What does "unsure" mean?
As an adjective, "unsure" means: uncertain, ambivalent.
What words are commonly confused with "unsure"?
"unsure" is commonly confused with "usurp", "upsurge", "undue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "unsure"?
From Middle English unsure, equivalent to un- + sure. Piecewise doublet of insecure and unsecure. 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 "unsure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tossed#10,466that'd#10,463waving#10,479Alexis#10,482

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

baggage8 variantsbeacon8 variantsselfie8 variantsbelts8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list