aftershock

/ˈæftɜɹʃɔk/

//ˈæftɜɹʃɔk// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"aftershock" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aftershock” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,047. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,047
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An earthquake that follows in the same vicinity as another, usually larger, earthquake (the "mainshock").

Corpus desk

Index EN-aftershock · aftershock · English

aftershock · rank #48,047 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,047
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adopter

Nearest frequency peer: adopter (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “aftershock”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “aftershock” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for aftershock
PropertyValue
Headwordaftershock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæftɜɹʃɔk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#48,047
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “aftershock”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).aftershocklands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “adopter” (#48,045), “admixture” (#48,044), “albumin” (#48,050). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “aftershock” is #48,047. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around aftershock (IPA /ˈæftɜɹʃɔk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,047 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for aftershock, with forms such as "afetrshock", "afftershock", and "afterhsock". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From after- + shock. The correct English form is aftershock, spelled A-F-T-E-R-S-H-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An earthquake that follows in the same vicinity as another, usually larger, earthquake (the "mainshock").
  2. 2
    By extension, any result or consequence following a major event.
  3. 3
    Emotional and physical distress following a traumatic event.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how aftershock appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. It was not a peace that brought joy – it was one that created an oppressive tension like the calm between a major earthquake and the aftershock.
  2. As aftershocks of 3.0 magnitude or higher continued to rock the area, rescuers transported over 50,000 people from the hardest-hit Luding county, according to local media

Etymology

From after- + shock.

Antonyms

foreshock

This word in other languages

réplica(Español)réplique(Français)Nachbeben(Deutsch)réplica(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afetrshock
  • afftershock
  • afterhsock
  • afterrshock
  • aftershcok
  • aftershhock
  • aftershocck
  • aftershockk
  • aftershokc
  • aftersohck
  • aftersshock
  • aftesrhock
  • aftreshock
  • afttershock
  • atfershock
  • fatershock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of aftershock - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

afetrshock2afftershock1afterhsock2afterrshock1aftershcok2aftershhock1aftershocck1aftershockk1
Edit distance from "aftershock"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "aftershock"?
"aftershock" is spelled A-F-T-E-R-S-H-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæftɜɹʃɔk/.
What does "aftershock" mean?
As a noun, "aftershock" means: An earthquake that follows in the same vicinity as another, usually larger, earthquake (the "mainshock").
What are common misspellings of "aftershock"?
Common misspellings include "afetrshock", "afftershock", "afterhsock", "afterrshock", "aftershcok". The correct spelling is "aftershock".
How do you pronounce "aftershock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aftershock" is /ˈæftɜɹʃɔk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "aftershock"?
From after- + shock. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "aftershock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

antagonize#48,059anthracite#48,061watchmaker#48,011biophysics#48,088

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

Whittington16 variantsuninhibited16 variantschangeling16 variantschargeable16 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list