unbeholfen

\ˈʊnbəˌhɔlfn̩\

/\ˈʊnbəˌhɔlfn̩\/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Maladroit, laborieux.

Corpus desk

Index FR-unbeholfen · unbeholfen · French

unbeholfen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 unbeholfen
PropertyValue
Headwordunbeholfen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈʊnbəˌhɔlfn̩\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « unbeholfen » en français

unbeholfenn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

unbeholfen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ˈʊnbəˌhɔlfn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Maladroit, laborieux.".

unbeholfen has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is unbeholfen, spelled U-N-B-E-H-O-L-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Maladroit, laborieux.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. «Ich meine, mich beschäftigt sein Stil, Samuel, der Stil eines Arztes, der einst eine gewandte Feder führte und nun reichlich unbeholfen schreibt», sagte der Alte vorsichtig.
  2. Lenzen stellt seine Tasche auf den erstbesten Stuhl, öffnet sie, wirft einen Blick hinein. Offensichtlich vergewissert er sich, dass er alles dabeihat. Er wirkt ein wenig unbeholfen, fast nervös, aber das tut der Fotograf auch.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 "unbeholfen"?
"unbeholfen" is spelled U-N-B-E-H-O-L-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈʊnbəˌhɔlfn̩\.
What does "unbeholfen" mean?
As an adjective, "unbeholfen" means: Maladroit, laborieux.
How do you pronounce "unbeholfen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unbeholfen" is \ˈʊnbəˌhɔlfn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "unbeholfen" come from?
"unbeholfen" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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