# shabby vs shady

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shabby
*adjective · IPA /ˈʃæbi/ · frequency rank #20,222*
Of clothing, a place, etc.: unkempt and worn or otherwise in poor condition due to age or neglect; scruffy.

### shady
*adjective · IPA /ˈʃeɪdi/ · frequency rank #11,115*
Abounding in shades.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shabby-vs-shady