# shell vs skull

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shell
*noun · IPA /ʃɛl/ · frequency rank #3,726*
A hard external covering of an animal.

### skull
*noun · IPA /ˈskʌl/ · frequency rank #6,183*
The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible.

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