Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

unbearable

/ənbˈɛɹəbəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.47 in modern English

Syllables: un-bear-able
IPA: /ənbˈɛɹəbəl/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

So unpleasant or painful as to be unendurable.

Example Sentences

"The heat of the fire, the steam which arose from the dampening water, the hard slogging at the white-hot metal of the links, and the continual pulling of lengths of chain, were calculated to put a test on the strongest of men, and often on hot summer days they had to be sent home, for the work became unbearable."

Etymology

From Middle English unberable, equivalent to un- + bearable.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: un
Root: unberable

Inflected Forms

more unbearable (comparative) most unbearable (superlative)

Derived Forms

unbearableness unbearably

Synonyms

insufferable unsupportable insupportable intolerable unendurable

Rhymes With

terrible wearable parable bearable repairable marable

Questions

How do you pronounce unbearable?: The recorded pronunciation is /ənbˈɛɹəbəl/.
What does unbearable mean?: So unpleasant or painful as to be unendurable.
Where does unbearable come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce unbearable

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “unbearable”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ənbˈɛɹəbəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “unbearable”.
Repeat and practice — Say “unbearable” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.