ashamed

/əˈʃeɪmd/

//əˈʃeɪmd// adj

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

"ashamed" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ashamed” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,437. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,437
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Feeling shame or guilt.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ashamed · ashamed · English

ashamed · rank #6,437 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,437
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH AR

Nearest frequency peer: AR (-1 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 “ashamed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ashamed” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ashamed vs assumed
71% similar
ashamed vs Ahmed
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ashamed
PropertyValue
Headwordashamed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈʃeɪmd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,437
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ashamed”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ashamedlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “AR” (#6,436), “assure” (#6,438), “ambulance” (#6,435). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ashamed” is #6,437. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around ashamed (IPA /əˈʃeɪmd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,437 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Feeling shame or guilt.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for ashamed, with forms such as "ahsamed", "asahmed", and "ashaemd". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "assumed", "Ahmed", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ashamed, aschamed, from Old English āsċamod, past participle of Old English āsċamian (“to be ashamed”), equivalent to a- + shame + -ed. The correct English form is ashamed, spelled A-S-H-A-M-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Feeling shame or guilt.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They ſhal be turned backe : they ſhal be greatly aſhamed, that truſt in grauẽ images, and ſay to the molten images, Ye are our gods.
  2. Good Sir pardon me, / I feel ſufficiently my follies penance, / And am aſham’d, that ſhame a thouſand ſorrows / Feed on continually, would I had never ſeen her, / Or with a clearer judgement look’d upon her, / She was too good for me, ſo heavenly good Sir, / Nothing but Heaven can love that ſoul ſufficiently, / Where I ſhall ſee her once again.

Etymology

From Middle English ashamed, aschamed, from Old English āsċamod, past participle of Old English āsċamian (“to be ashamed”), equivalent to a- + shame + -ed.

Synonyms

abashed

Antonyms

proud

This word in other languages

avergonzado(Español)honteux(Français)beschämt(Deutsch)envergonhado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahsamed
  • asahmed
  • ashaemd
  • ashamde
  • ashamedd
  • ashammed
  • ashhamed
  • ashmaed
  • asshamed
  • sahamed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ashamed - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahsamed2asahmed2ashaemd2ashamde2ashamedd1ashammed1ashhamed1ashmaed2
Edit distance from "ashamed"

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 "ashamed"?
"ashamed" is spelled A-S-H-A-M-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈʃeɪmd/.
What does "ashamed" mean?
As an adjective, "ashamed" means: Feeling shame or guilt.
What words are commonly confused with "ashamed"?
"ashamed" is commonly confused with "assumed", "Ahmed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ashamed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ashamed" is /əˈʃeɪmd/. 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 "ashamed"?
From Middle English ashamed, aschamed, from Old English āsċamod, past participle of Old English āsċamian (“to be ashamed”), equivalent to a- + shame + -ed. 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 "ashamed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

compact#6,450cooling#6,453corners#6,454deficit#6,456

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

shorts10 variantsdonated10 variantsrainbow10 variantsquantum10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list