How to spell unkind

hear itun·kind/ən'kaɪnd/adjectivePrefixes and work

What it means: Mean, harsh, or not nice to others.

In a sentence: It's unkind to make fun of others.

The part people get wrong

Watch for a silent k. Often misspelled as unkinde or uncind.

Same family: kindness, kindly, kinder, unkindness, kindhearted. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Unkind is formed from the Old English word "kind," meaning "natural" or "friendly," plus the prefix "un-" meaning "not." So literally, unkind originally meant "not natural" or "not friendly," and over time it came to mean lacking in kindness.

Patterns it uses: Silent letters · Prefixes keep every letter

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.

Words like this

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