Which to use
“Shem” and “Shih” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,019
- “Shem” frequency rank
- #30,967
- “Shih” frequency rank
- 70986
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Shem | Shih |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The oldest son of Noah, brother to Ham and Japheth. | A surname from Mandarin of Chinese origin. |
Letter map: Shem vs Shih
Shared letters muted; letters that set Shem and Shih apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Pair insight - Shem / Shih
Shem and Shih are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Shem is recorded at frequency rank #40,019, classified as aname. Shih is at rank #30,967, tagged as aname, pronounced /ˌʌnˈʃiː/.
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 70986, this pair ranks #48,465 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Shem vs Shih
Shared letters: hs. Private to "Shem": em. Private to "Shih": i.
"Shem" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "Shih" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Shem" and "Shih" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Shem" vs "Shih" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pair "Shem" vs "Shih" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "Shem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Shih" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #48,465 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Shem" and "Shih" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sez vs Shem". 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 #48,465 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.