unuseful

/ʌnˈjuːsfəl/

//ʌnˈjuːsfəl// adj

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

The verdict

“unuseful” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-unuseful · unuseful · English

unuseful · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for unuseful
PropertyValue
Headwordunuseful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈjuːsfəl/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unuseful” in English

unusefulsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unuseful is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ʌnˈjuːsfəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Not useful.".

Zero misspellings are on record for unuseful in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + useful. The correct English form is unuseful, spelled U-N-U-S-E-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not useful.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. in regard of the situation of this strong Fortresse, they did neither feare them nor hurt them, being upon the point of a faire promontory, environed on the one side within halfe a mile with an un-usefull mountaine, and on the other side with a faire Plaine […]
  2. If it is deemed to be unuseful, attempt to terminate the action or reverse the impact as much as possible. If it is a useful action compliment yourself and smile inwardly.

Etymology

From un- + useful.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "unuseful"?
"unuseful" is spelled U-N-U-S-E-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈjuːsfəl/.
What does "unuseful" mean?
As an adjective, "unuseful" means: Not useful.
How do you pronounce "unuseful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unuseful" is /ʌnˈjuːsfəl/. 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 "unuseful"?
From un- + useful. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list