Which to use
“shake” is a verb and “share” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,121
- “shake” frequency rank
- #642
- “share” frequency rank
- 4763
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shake | share |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. | A portion of something, especially a portion given or allotted to someone. |
Where the eye mixes shake and share
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: shake vs share
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: shake is /ˈʃeɪk/ while share is /ʃɛə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - k in “shake” becomes r in “share”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shake is recorded at frequency rank #4,121, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈʃeɪk/. share is at rank #642, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ʃɛə/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 4763, this pair ranks #517,781 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of shake vs share
Shared letters: aehs. Private to "shake": k. Private to "share": r.
"shake" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "share" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "shake" for "share" ever safe?
Which is more common, "shake" or "share"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "shake" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "share" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #517,781 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shake" and "share" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "shackle vs shake". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #517,781 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.