untruth

/ʌnˈtɹuːθ/

//ʌnˈtɹuːθ// noun

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

"untruth" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“untruth” is uncommon English (frequency #73,761 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,761
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lie or falsehood.

Corpus desk

Index EN-untruth · untruth · English

untruth · rank #73,761 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,761
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH untaxed

Nearest frequency peer: untaxed (-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 “untruth”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for untruth
PropertyValue
Headworduntruth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʌnˈtɹuːθ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#73,761
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “untruth” 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).untruthfalls 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: “untaxed” (#73,760), “Upjohn” (#73,762), “unsaved” (#73,759). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “untruth” is #73,761. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

untruth is uncommon English at frequency #73,761 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ʌnˈtɹuːθ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for untruth in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English untreuth, from Old English untrēowþ and unġetrēowþ, from Proto-West Germanic *untriuwiþu and *ungatriuwiþu, equivalent to un- + truth. Cognate with Old High German ungitriuwida. The correct English form is untruth, spelled U-N-T-R-U-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lie or falsehood.
  2. 2
    The condition of being false; truthlessness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Herald The prince was swept from the sight of the Achaean host—himself, and his ship likewise. ’Tis no untruth I tell.
  2. He added: "We've always had spin, especially from Government. But this is not spin. This is dishonesty and so it's our rail media's urgent responsibility to call it out because non-specialist journalists across the country will report this and gradually these untruths will be accepted.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English untreuth, from Old English untrēowþ and unġetrēowþ, from Proto-West Germanic *untriuwiþu and *ungatriuwiþu, equivalent to un- + truth. Cognate with Old High German ungitriuwida.

Synonyms

falsehood

This word in other languages

mensonge(Français)Unwahrheit(Deutsch)inverdade(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 "untruth"?
"untruth" is spelled U-N-T-R-U-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈtɹuːθ/.
What does "untruth" mean?
As a noun, "untruth" means: A lie or falsehood.
How do you pronounce "untruth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "untruth" is /ʌnˈtɹuːθ/. 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 "untruth"?
Inherited from Middle English untreuth, from Old English untrēowþ and unġetrēowþ, from Proto-West Germanic *untriuwiþu and *ungatriuwiþu, equivalent to un- + truth. Cognate with Old High German ungitriuwida. 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 "untruth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

untaxed#73,760unsaved#73,759Vistula#73,776voltaic#73,783

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list