Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

unexpected

/ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.23 in modern English

Syllables: un-ex-pect-ed
IPA: /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/

22

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Not expected, anticipated or foreseen.

noun

Someone or something unexpected.

Example Sentences

"She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher."
"Certainly unexpected. The P[awn] is overprotected to the best taste of a Nimzowitsch devotee, and there seems to be no drastic weakness in White's camp to justify this intrusion."
"But the latest Santa Fe development, while not spurring the Rock Island to any further acceleration, has drawn fire from a totally unexpected quarter."
"The windmill presented unexpected difficulties."
"Providing accommodation is a significant constraint, and an unexpected development from the restoration of services to Okehampton is demand from the Exeter student population to rent local properties."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English expected English unexpected From un- + expected.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/

Inflected Forms

more unexpected (comparative) most unexpected (superlative) unexpecteds (plural)

Derived Forms

unexpectedly unexpectedness

Phrases

expect the unexpected sudden unexpected death syndrome unexpected hanging paradox unexpected red theory bolt from the blue out of the blue

Frequently Paired Words

unplanned incidental contingent bolt from the blue out of the blue

Synonyms

unlooked for. See Thesaurus:surprising

Antonyms

expected

Rhymes With

connected selected affected protected rejected suspected infected reflected respected subjected disconnected inspected

Questions

How do you pronounce unexpected?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/.
What does unexpected mean?: Not expected, anticipated or foreseen.
Where does unexpected come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English expected English unexpected From un- + expected.

How to pronounce unexpected

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