unwholesome
un·whole·some/ˌənˈhoʊlsəm/adjective
unwholesome is spelled U-N-W-H-O-L-E-S-O-M-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables (un·whole·some). It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 80,453rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unwholesome means “Not wholesome; unfavorable to health; unhealthful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unwholesome?
| Letters | 11: U-N-W-H-O-L-E-S-O-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: un·whole·some |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 80,453rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 unwholesome?
Unwholesome appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 80,453rd 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 unwholesome?
- US /ˌənˈhoʊlsəm/
- UK /ˌənˈhəʊlsəm/
Unwholesome has 3 syllables, split un·whole·some in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unwholesome.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with unwholesome?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as unwholesome from its last stressed vowel (/oʊlsəm/):
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 unwholesome
- more unwholesome comparative
- most unwholesome superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unwholesome mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not wholesome; unfavorable to health; unhealthful.
unwholesome air, or food
- 2
Not sound; tainted; defective.
- 3
Indicating unsound health; characteristic of or suggesting an unsound condition, physical or mental; repulsive; offensive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unwholesome in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not wholesome:
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 unwholesome come from?
From Middle English unholsom; equivalent to un- + wholesome.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).