Which to use
“show” is a verb and “shy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #199
- “show” frequency rank
- #5,551
- “shy” frequency rank
- 5750
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | show | shy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To display, to have somebody see (something). | Easily frightened; timid. |
Where the eye mixes show and shy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: show is /ʃəʊ/ while shy is /ʃaɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5750, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
show is recorded at frequency rank #199, classified as averb, pronounced /ʃəʊ/. shy is at rank #5,551, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʃaɪ/.
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 5750, this pair ranks #514,134 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of show vs shy
Shared letters: hs. Private to "show": ow. Private to "shy": y.
"show" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "shy" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- show ← hsow · shhow · showw · shwo · sohw · sshow
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "show" and "shy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "show" or "shy"?
What to do next
You've compared "show" and "shy". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "show" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "shy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #514,134 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "show" and "shy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "shy vs Sif". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.