uhn-FER
/əˈnfɛɹ/
unfair is pronounced uhn-FER (/əˈnfɛɹ/). Unfair describes treatment or a situation that is not fair or just, often implying bias, favoritism, or a violation of expected standards. It conveys a sense of inequality or lack of impartiality. In everyday use, it can refer to rules, decisions, or actions that feel biased or unjust.
Unfair describes treatment or a situation that is not fair or just, often implying bias, favoritism, or a violation of expected standards. It conveys a sense of inequality or lack of impartiality. In everyday use, it can refer to rules, decisions, or actions that feel biased or unjust.
"The referee's calls in the game were clearly unfair and biased."
"She felt it was unfair that the two teams had different practice times."
"The policy is unfair to small businesses, giving an advantage to larger corporations."
Unfair is pronounced as /ˌənˈfɛər/ in US and UK, with two primary syllables: a neutral schwa in the first syllable, followed by a stressed vowel-diphthong in the second syllable. Your mouth should start with a relaxed jaw, a light /ə/ sound, then move to /f/ followed by the /ɛə/ diphthong, ending with a final /r/ in rhotic varieties. Focus on linking the /n/ to the stressed /ɛər/ to avoid a choppy rhythm.
Common mistakes include pronouncing it as two flat syllables without linking: un-fair with weak /ˈfɛər/ or misplacing the stress as /ˌʌnˈfeər/ or /ˌənˈfær/. Another tendency is to reduce the second syllable to a pure /eɪ/ or mispronounce /f/ as /v/ in rapid speech. Correct by keeping a soft schwa in the first syllable, a crisp /f/ immediately before the /ɛə/ diphthong, and finishing with a clear rhotic /r/ if your accent is rhotic.
In US English, /ˌənˈfɛər/ with a rhotacized final /r/ and a rounded /ɛər/ diphthong. In non-rhotic UK English, you may hear /ˌənˈfeə/ with a non-rhotic final and an easier /ə/ color before the /ə/. Australian English often retains rhoticity loosely but features a sterner vowel in /eə/ and may tilt toward /eə/ or /eəɹ/ depending on speaker, with less vowel differentiation in some dialects. Pay attention to rhoticity and vowel quality changes.
The challenge lies in the /f/ transitioning into a mid-to-high front vowel cluster in /fɛər/ and maintaining a smooth, single /r/-like ending in rhotic varieties. The weak schwa in the first syllable can be easy to swallow, causing misplacement of stress. Additionally, subtle differences in rhoticity and vowel width across accents can alter perceived timing and vowel length. Practice sustaining the /ɪən/ or /ən/ onset before the stressed syllable, and aim for a clean /f/ + diphthong transition.
Yes—notice the stress pattern and the smooth transition from the /n/ to the /f/ in the onset of the stressed syllable. The /æ/ spelling sometimes misleads learners into a short /æ/ sound; instead, target the /ɛər/ diphthong with your lips rounded for /eɪ/ quality but ending with a nearer /ə/ before rhotic /r/ in American speech. Also, maintain the light, almost 'floating' schwa in the first syllable so the second syllable carries the load of the meaning.
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The word unfair comes from the prefix un- meaning ‘not’ combined with fair, which derives from the Old English faeor, related to ‘fest’ or ‘fixed’ in sense of settled rules of conduct, and from the Proto-Germanic fa‑ meaning ‘law, custom’ leading to fair in the sense of “proper, beautiful, beautiful in accordance with rules.” The earliest senses of fair involved notions of beauty, bright, or splendid, but by Middle English it also took on meanings of “just, loyal, equitable.” The negative prefix un- has long been used to negate adjectives, and by the 16th–17th centuries, unfair began to appear to describe processes, decisions, or actions that failed to meet accepted standards of fairness. The word’s semantic shift mirrors social and legal concepts of equity, bias, and due process, and it remains tied to judgments of justice and deserving outcomes. Modern usage widens to describe anything perceived as biased, inconsistent, or lacking impartiality, across personal, professional, and political contexts. First known uses appear in legal and moral discourse, with literary attestations expanding its range to general critique of behavior and policies. Historical usage reflects ongoing concerns with leveling power, ensuring due process, and criticizing favoritism.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "unfair" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "unfair"
-are sounds
-air sounds
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