Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell unfortunately

What it means: By bad luck; regrettably.

In a sentence: Unfortunately, the picnic was canceled because of the rain. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as unfortunetly or unfortunatly.

Same family: fortune, unfortunate, fortunately, misfortune, unluckily. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Unfortunately” comes from the Latin word *fortuna*, meaning “chance” or “luck.” The prefix “un-” was later added in English to show the opposite, so the word literally suggests that something happens ‘not by good luck.’

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

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