Show

[ʃɔʊ̯]

/[ʃɔʊ̯]/ noun

The verdict

“Show” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,333 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,333
frequency rank, German
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vorführung eines (großen) Unterhaltungsprogramms vor Publikum (beispielsweise im Theater oder Varieté; oft in Fernsehen oder Radio übertragen), teilweise mit Informationscharakter

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Show vs so
25% similar
Show vs SW
25% similar
Show vs SPÖ
25% similar

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

Key facts for Show
PropertyValue
HeadwordShow
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ʃɔʊ̯]
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,333
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Show” 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). Show 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 Show is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʃɔʊ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,333 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Vorführung eines (großen) Unterhaltungsprogramms vor Publikum (beispielsweise im Theater oder Varieté; oft in Fernsehen oder Radio übertragen), teilweise mit Informationscharakter".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Show, with forms such as "hsow", "shhow", and "showw". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "so", "SW", "SPÖ", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Show, spelled S-H-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vorführung eines (großen) Unterhaltungsprogramms vor Publikum (beispielsweise im Theater oder Varieté; oft in Fernsehen oder Radio übertragen), teilweise mit Informationscharakter

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsow,shhow,showw,shwo,sohw,sshow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Show - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hsow2shhow1showw1shwo2sohw2sshow1
Edit distance from "Show"

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 "Show"?
"Show" is spelled S-H-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃɔʊ̯].
What does "Show" mean?
As a noun, "Show" means: Vorführung eines (großen) Unterhaltungsprogramms vor Publikum (beispielsweise im Theater oder Varieté; oft in Fernsehen oder Radio übertragen), teilweise mit Informationscharakter
What words are commonly confused with "Show"?
"Show" is commonly confused with "so", "SW", "SPÖ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Show"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Show" is [ʃɔʊ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Show" come from?
"Show" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “Show”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is S-H-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʃɔʊ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “so” - see the side-by-side comparison. Show vs so
  • 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