Which to use
“shared” and “shrewd” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,128
- “shared” frequency rank
- #25,204
- “shrewd” frequency rank
- 27332
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shared | shrewd |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used by multiple entities or for multiple purposes or in multiple ways. | Showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters. |
Where the eye mixes shared and shrewd
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. shared (CCVCVC) and shrewd (CCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses shared with shrewd
A purely visual mix-up. shared (/ʃɛːd/) and shrewd (/ʃɹuːd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27332, 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/. shrewd is at rank #25,204, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʃɹuːd/.
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 27332, this pair ranks #379,780 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of shared vs shrewd
Shared letters: dehrs. Private to "shared": a. Private to "shrewd": w.
"shared" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "shrewd" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shared" and "shrewd" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "shared" vs "shrewd" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "shared" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "shrewd" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #379,780 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shared" and "shrewd" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "shrew vs shrewd". 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 #379,780 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.