Which to use
“shared” is an adjective and “shed” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,128
- “shared” frequency rank
- #4,894
- “shed” frequency rank
- 7022
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shared | shed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used by multiple entities or for multiple purposes or in multiple ways. | To part, separate or divide. |
Same sound, different letters: shared vs shed
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 4 letters.
Ear matches; page differs - shared and shed
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: shared and shed carry the same recorded pronunciation, /ʃɛːd/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shared is recorded at frequency rank #2,128, classified as anadj, pronounced /ʃɛːd/. shed is at rank #4,894, tagged as averb, pronounced /ʃɛd/.
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 7022, this pair ranks #508,924 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of shared vs shed
Shared letters: dehs. Private to "shared": ar. Private to "shed": -.
"shared" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "shed" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shared" and "shed" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "shared" or "shed"?
Useful next steps
"shared" and "shed" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "shared" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "shed" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #508,924 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shared" and "shed" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sez vs shed". 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 #508,924 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.