unveil

/ʌnˈveɪl/

//ʌnˈveɪl// verb

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

"unveil" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unveil” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,539. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,539
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove a veil from; to uncover; to reveal something hidden.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unveil · unveil · English

unveil · rank #22,539 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,539
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unsolicited

Nearest frequency peer: unsolicited (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “unveil”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “unveil” 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).

unveil vs unwell
67% similar
unveil vs unveiled
75% similar
unveil vs until
67% similar

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

Key facts for unveil
PropertyValue
Headwordunveil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʌnˈveɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,539
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unveil”

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).unveillands 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 “unsolicited” (#22,538), “unworthy” (#22,540), “unparalleled” (#22,537). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unveil” is #22,539. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around unveil (IPA /ʌnˈveɪl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,539 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for unveil, with forms such as "nuveil", "unevil", and "unnveil". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "unwell", "unveiled", "until", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *unveilen (suggested by past participle unveiled, vnueylyd (“unveiled”)). Equivalent to un- + veil. Ultimately from Latin velum (whence also English voile, English reveal, Russian вуа́ль (vuálʹ), Russian завуали́ровать (zavualírovatʹ) (c… The correct English form is unveil, spelled U-N-V-E-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove a veil from; to uncover; to reveal something hidden.
  2. 2
    To show, especially for the first time.
  3. 3
    To remove a veil; to reveal oneself.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Schools of Jurisprudence of Abu Hanifa, Al-Shafaii and Malik agree that the woman is permitted to unveil her face and hands in the streets in front of the strangers. However, if this display of the face does rouse temptation and charm, the woman has to veil her face as she does the rest of her body.
  2. A sort of curtain, made of- mat, usually hung before them, which the natives were sometimes unwilling to remove ; and when they did consent to unveil them, they seemed to express themselves in a very mysterious manner.

Etymology

From Middle English *unveilen (suggested by past participle unveiled, vnueylyd (“unveiled”)). Equivalent to un- + veil. Ultimately from Latin velum (whence also English voile, English reveal, Russian вуа́ль (vuálʹ), Russian завуали́ровать (zavualírovatʹ) (compare typologically)). Also compare typologically uncloak, unmask, Russian разобла́чать (razobláčatʹ) (akin to облаче́ние (oblačénije)).

This word in other languages

develar(Español)dévoiler(Français)enthüllen(Deutsch)revelar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuveil
  • unevil
  • unnveil
  • unveill
  • unveli
  • unviel
  • unvveil
  • uvneil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unveil - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nuveil2unevil2unnveil1unveill1unveli2unviel2unvveil1uvneil2
Edit distance from "unveil"

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 "unveil"?
"unveil" is spelled U-N-V-E-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈveɪl/.
What does "unveil" mean?
As a verb, "unveil" means: To remove a veil from; to uncover; to reveal something hidden.
What words are commonly confused with "unveil"?
"unveil" is commonly confused with "unwell", "unveiled", "until". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unveil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unveil" is /ʌnˈveɪl/. 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 "unveil"?
From Middle English *unveilen (suggested by past participle unveiled, vnueylyd (“unveiled”)). Equivalent to un- + veil. Ultimately from Latin velum (whence also English voile, English reveal, Russian вуа́ль (vuálʹ), Russian завуали́ровать (zavualí... 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 "unveil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Walden#22,547when's#22,550swayed#22,518sprays#22,514

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

slums8 variantsairway8 variantsslabs8 variantsseaman8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list