The typeof operator will check if the variable is really undefined.

if (typeof variable === 'undefined') {
    // variable is undefined
}

The typeof operator, unlike the other operators, doesn't throw a ReferenceError exception when used with an undeclared variable.

However, do note that typeof null will return "object". We have to be careful to avoid the mistake of initializing a variable to null. To be safe, this is what we could use instead:

if (typeof variable === 'undefined' || variable === null) {
    // variable is undefined or null
}

For more info on using strict comparison === instead of simple equality ==, see:
Which equals operator (== vs ===) should be used in JavaScript comparisons?