lampshade

/ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd/

//ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd// noun

"lampshade" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lampshade” is uncommon English (frequency #69,190 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,190
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cover over a lamp to either diffuse the light or to block it in certain directions to avoid glare in the eyes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lampshade · lampshade · English

lampshade · rank #69,190 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,190
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lafleur

Nearest frequency peer: Lafleur (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “lampshade”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “lampshade” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lampshade
PropertyValue
Headwordlampshade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#69,190
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lampshade” in English

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).lampshadefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Lafleur” (#69,189), “Lancs” (#69,191), “Langlois” (#69,192). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lampshade” is #69,190. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lampshade is uncommon English at frequency #69,190 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A cover over a lamp to either diffuse the light or to block it in certain directions to avoid glare in the eyes.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for lampshade, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lamp + shade. The verb sense comes from the idea of making something more conspicuous by hanging a lampshade on it. The correct English form is lampshade, spelled L-A-M-P-S-H-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cover over a lamp to either diffuse the light or to block it in certain directions to avoid glare in the eyes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It was all very well, this Bohemianism of red lamp-shades and cigarettes, but in the cold grey light that filtered through Partridge's grimy windows it did not show to any great advantage.

Etymology

From lamp + shade. The verb sense comes from the idea of making something more conspicuous by hanging a lampshade on it.

This word in other languages

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 "lampshade"?
"lampshade" is spelled L-A-M-P-S-H-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd/.
What does "lampshade" mean?
As a noun, "lampshade" means: A cover over a lamp to either diffuse the light or to block it in certain directions to avoid glare in the eyes.
How do you pronounce "lampshade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lampshade" is /ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd/. 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 "lampshade"?
From lamp + shade. The verb sense comes from the idea of making something more conspicuous by hanging a lampshade on it. 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 "lampshade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list