unterlassen

\ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩\

/\ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩\/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - S'abstenir, s'empêcher, omettre (de faire quelque chose).

Corpus desk

Index FR-unterlassen · unterlassen · French

unterlassen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 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 unterlassen
PropertyValue
Headwordunterlassen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « unterlassen » en français

unterlassensiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

unterlassen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "S'abstenir, s'empêcher, omettre (de faire quelque chose).".

No generated misspelling entries exist for unterlassen in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is unterlassen, spelled U-N-T-E-R-L-A-S-S-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    S'abstenir, s'empêcher, omettre (de faire quelque chose).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Es ist so peinlich, mit Detlef wegzugehen. Er kann es nicht unterlassen, im Restaurant allen Frauen in den Ausschnitt zu schielen.
  2. Eine Urlaubsreise in die USA wird immer mehr zur Zitterpartie. Nun mehren sich die Warnungen, dass auch die Smartphones und Laptops von Reisenden kontrolliert werden könnten. Wie sollte man seine Geräte darauf vorbereiten? Und welche Maßnahmen sollte man besser unterlassen?

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 "unterlassen"?
"unterlassen" is spelled U-N-T-E-R-L-A-S-S-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩\.
What does "unterlassen" mean?
As a verb, "unterlassen" means: S'abstenir, s'empêcher, omettre (de faire quelque chose).
How do you pronounce "unterlassen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unterlassen" is \ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "unterlassen" come from?
"unterlassen" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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