Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

uncertainty

/ʌnˈsɝtənti/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.03 in modern English

Syllables: un-cer-tain-ty
IPA: /ʌnˈsɝtənti/

16

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Doubt; the condition of being uncertain or without conviction.

Uncountable

noun

Something uncertain or ambiguous.

Countable

noun

A parameter that measures the dispersion of a range of measured values.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"“Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity."
"After spending so much of the season looking upwards, the swashbuckling style and swagger of early season Spurs was replaced by uncertainty and frustration against a Norwich side who had the quality and verve to take advantage"
"Piecing together Corbynomics is difficult, not least because it has evolved during Mr Corbyn’s time in charge of Labour. The gulf between the Labour leadership’s past positions and the milder proposals in the manifesto means that enormous uncertainty hangs over what a Corbyn-led government would do in office."
"It's a full circle. Over the past 43 years, RAIL has reported on how the railways have gone from uncertainty under government control to sectorisation, privatisation, and back to uncertainty under government control."
"Near-synonym: uncertain (noun)"
"Some uncertainties remain; an especially salient uncertainty is the timing of their return trip."

Etymology

From Middle English uncerteynte; equivalent to un- + certainty or uncertain + -ty.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: uncerteynte

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ʌnˈsɝtənti/
British English: /ʌnˈsɜːtənti/

Usage

Inflected Forms

uncertainties (plural) uncertainity (alternative, India)

Phrases

cone of uncertainty corridor of uncertainty Heisenberg uncertainty principle Knightian uncertainty uncertainty aversion uncertainty principle

Synonyms

uncertain uncertainness precariousness doubt incertitude dubiety doubtfulness dubiousness

Antonyms

certainty closure

Rhymes With

certainty

Questions

How do you pronounce uncertainty?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʌnˈsɝtənti/.
What does uncertainty mean?: Doubt; the condition of being uncertain or without conviction.
Where does uncertainty come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce uncertainty

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