unusable

adj

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

"unusable" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unusable” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,272. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,272
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not usable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unusable · unusable · English

unusable · rank #30,272 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,272
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH Valdez

Nearest frequency peer: Valdez (+2 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 “unusable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “unusable” 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).

unusable vs usable
75% similar
unusable vs unable
75% similar
unusable vs unstable
75% similar

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

Key facts for unusable
PropertyValue
Headwordunusable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#30,272
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unusable”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).unusablelands 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 “Valdez” (#30,274), “underscore” (#30,269), “ug” (#30,268). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unusable” is #30,272. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around unusable, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #30,272 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not usable.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for unusable, with forms such as "nuusable", "unnusable", and "unsuable". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "usable", "unable", "unstable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + usable. The correct English form is unusable, spelled U-N-U-S-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not usable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The toilet was unusable because it was blocked.
  2. From that night until mid-morning on Sunday, November 6, the station was unusable by any electric trains and the Brighton-Eastbourne service was maintained by steam traction, assisted by two Hastings six-car diesel muliple-units—[...].

Etymology

From un- + usable.

This word in other languages

inutilizable(Español)inutilisable(Français)unbenutzbar(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuusable
  • unnusable
  • unsuable
  • unuasble
  • unusabble
  • unusabel
  • unusablle
  • unusalbe
  • unusbale
  • unusible
  • unussable
  • uunsable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unusable - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

nuusable2unnusable1unsuable2unuasble2unusabble1unusabel2unusablle1unusalbe2
Edit distance from "unusable"

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 "unusable"?
"unusable" is spelled U-N-U-S-A-B-L-E.
What does "unusable" mean?
As an adjective, "unusable" means: Not usable.
What words are commonly confused with "unusable"?
"unusable" is commonly confused with "usable", "unable", "unstable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "unusable"?
From un- + usable. 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 "unusable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Varanasi#30,276trombone#30,263totalled#30,262teleport#30,255

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Wellesley12 variantsswastika12 variantssociable12 variantsbottomless12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list