Shoot or shute?
shoot is a verb meaning “To fire (a weapon that releases a bullet or other projectile)”; shute is a noun meaning “A steep road through a cleft in a hill”. Use shoot as a verb and shute as a noun (shoot is also a noun: “The emerging stem and embryonic leaves of a new plant”). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) shoot is about 245 times as common as shute.
What is the difference between shoot and shute?
| shoot | shute | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, noun, interjection | noun |
| Meaning | To fire (a weapon that releases a bullet or other projectile) To fire or launch (a projectile) The emerging stem and embryonic leaves of a new plant | A steep road through a cleft in a hill |
| Example | to shoot a gun | none recorded |
| Forms | shoots, shooting, shot | shutes |
| Pronunciation | /ʃuːt/ /ʃʉwt/ /ʃut/ | not recorded |
| In writing | 54 times per million words | about once in every 5 million words |
Sources: shoot and shute in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of shoot and shute
shoot
- 1
To fire (a weapon that releases a bullet or other projectile)
to shoot a gun
- 2
The emerging stem and embryonic leaves of a new plant
- 3
A mild expletive, expressing disbelief or dismay
Didn't you have a concert tonight? –Shoot! I forgot! I have to go and get ready…
- 4
To fire or launch (a projectile)
- 5
A photography session
- 6
To fire a projectile at (a person or target)
The man, in a desperate bid for freedom, grabbed his gun and started shooting anyone he could
- 7
A hunt or shooting competition
- 8
To cause a weapon to discharge a projectile; to use a gun or similar weapon
They shot at a target
shute
- 1
Alternative form of chute
- 2
Alternative form of shoot
- 3
A steep road through a cleft in a hill
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, shoot or shute?
shoot appears 54 times per million words; shute about once in every 5 million words.
shoot 54 times per million wordsshute about once in every 5 million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).