šly

[ʃlɪ]

/[ʃlɪ]/ verb

The verdict

“šly” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Maskulinum unbelebt des Verbs jít

Key facts for šly
PropertyValue
Headwordšly
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ʃlɪ]
Letters3
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “šly” sits in German frequency

šly falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

šly is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ʃlɪ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for šly, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 šly, spelled Š-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Maskulinum unbelebt des Verbs jít
  2. 2
    3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Femininum des Verbs jít
  3. 3
    Partizip Aktiv Maskulinum unbelebt Plural des Verbs jít
  4. 4
    Partizip Aktiv Femininum Plural des Verbs jít

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "šly"?
"šly" is spelled Š-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃlɪ].
What does "šly" mean?
As a verb, "šly" means: 3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Maskulinum unbelebt des Verbs jít
How do you pronounce "šly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "šly" is [ʃlɪ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "šly" come from?
"šly" 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 “šly”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Š-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʃlɪ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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