unhappy

\ʌnˈhæp.i\

/\ʌnˈhæp.i\/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

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

Corpus desk

Index FR-unhappy · unhappy · French

unhappy · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 unhappy
PropertyValue
Headwordunhappy
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʌnˈhæp.i\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « unhappy » en français

unhappyn'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

unhappy is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ʌnˈhæp.i\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for unhappy, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is unhappy, spelled U-N-H-A-P-P-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Malheureux.
  2. 2
    Mécontent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I'm unhappy about this situation.

Synonyms

discontent

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 "unhappy"?
"unhappy" is spelled U-N-H-A-P-P-Y. The IPA pronunciation is \ʌnˈhæp.i\.
What does "unhappy" mean?
As an adjective, "unhappy" means: Malheureux.
How do you pronounce "unhappy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unhappy" is \ʌnˈhæp.i\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "unhappy" come from?
"unhappy" 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