untimely
/ʌnˈtaɪmli/adjective, adverb
untimely is spelled U-N-T-I-M-E-L-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, untimely means “At an inopportune time” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in untimely?
| Letters | 8: U-N-T-I-M-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,745th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is untimely?
Untimely appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th 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 untimely?
- /ʌnˈtaɪmli/
Untimely 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-untimely.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Sapaa-untimely.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with untimely?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as untimely.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: minutely.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of untimely
- untimelier comparative
- more untimely comparative
- untimeliest superlative
- most untimely superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does untimely mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
At an inopportune time.
untimely remarks
- 2
Early; premature.
an untimely death
adverb
- 1
Prematurely.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Untimely in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | intempestif , vert |
| German | unpassend , vorzeitig, verfrüht, frühzeitig, viel zu früh |
| Portuguese | intempestivo |
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 untimely come from?
From Middle English untymely (also earlier untimliche), equivalent to un- + timely. First attested in the early 13th century. Compare Middle Danish utimelig, Old English untídlic (“unseasonable”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).