untie

/ʌnˈtaɪ/

//ʌnˈtaɪ// verb

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

"untie" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“untie” is uncommon English (frequency #52,701 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,701
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-untie · untie · English

untie · rank #52,701 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,701
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unnerved

Nearest frequency peer: unnerved (-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 “untie”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for untie
PropertyValue
Headworduntie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʌnˈtaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#52,701
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “untie” in English

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).untiefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “unnerved” (#52,700), “unknowing” (#52,699), “utilitarianism” (#52,703). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “untie” is #52,701. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

untie is uncommon English at frequency #52,701 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ʌnˈtaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for untie in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English untien, unteyen, untyȝen, untiȝen, from Old English untīġan (“to untie”), equivalent to un- + tie. The correct English form is untie, spelled U-N-T-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of.
  2. 2
    To free from fastening or from restraint; to let loose; to unbind.
  3. 3
    To resolve; to unfold; to clear.
  4. 4
    To become untied or loosed.
  5. 5
    In the Perl programming language, to undo the process of tying, so that a variable uses default instead of custom functionality.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to untie a knot
  2. Haſt thou the pretty vvorme of Nylus [an asp] there, / That killes and paines not? / […] / Come thou mortal vvretch, / VVith thy ſharpe teeth this knot intrinſicate, / Of life at once vntye: Poore venomous Foole, / Be angry, and diſpatch.

Etymology

From Middle English untien, unteyen, untyȝen, untiȝen, from Old English untīġan (“to untie”), equivalent to un- + tie.

Synonyms

unfasten

Antonyms

tie

This word in other languages

desatar(Español)détacher(Français)losmachen(Deutsch)desatar(Português)

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 "untie"?
"untie" is spelled U-N-T-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈtaɪ/.
What does "untie" mean?
As a verb, "untie" means: To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of.
How do you pronounce "untie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "untie" is /ʌnˈtaɪ/. 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 "untie"?
From Middle English untien, unteyen, untyȝen, untiȝen, from Old English untīġan (“to untie”), equivalent to un- + tie. 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 "untie", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Vella#52,704Tubbs#52,688wifes#52,721terns#52,670

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list