shin

[ʃɪn]

/[ʃɪn]/ noun

The verdict

“shin” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #31,269 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#31,269
frequency rank, German
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - neben dem Wadenbein einer der beiden, mithin der kräftigere Knochen des Unterschenkels

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

shin vs Sn
25% similar
shin vs sie
50% similar
shin vs Sir
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for shin
PropertyValue
Headwordshin
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ʃɪn]
Letters4
Frequency rank#31,269
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shin” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). shin lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for shin is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʃɪn]. Corpus data places it at rank #31,269 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "neben dem Wadenbein einer der beiden, mithin der kräftigere Knochen des Unterschenkels".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for shin, with forms such as "hsin", "shhin", and "shinn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Sn", "sie", "Sir", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is shin, spelled S-H-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    neben dem Wadenbein einer der beiden, mithin der kräftigere Knochen des Unterschenkels

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsin,shhin,shinn,shni,sihn,sshin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shin - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hsin2shhin1shinn1shni2sihn2sshin1
Edit distance from "shin"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shin"?
"shin" is spelled S-H-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃɪn].
What does "shin" mean?
As a noun, "shin" means: neben dem Wadenbein einer der beiden, mithin der kräftigere Knochen des Unterschenkels
What words are commonly confused with "shin"?
"shin" is commonly confused with "Sn", "sie", "Sir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shin" is [ʃɪn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "shin" come from?
"shin" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “shin”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is S-H-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʃɪn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Sn” - see the side-by-side comparison. shin vs Sn
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list