photoshop

/ˈfəʊ.təʊ.ʃɒp/

//ˈfəʊ.təʊ.ʃɒp// verb

Detailed reference entry for the English word "photoshop", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "photoshop" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "photoshop" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

The verdict

“photoshop” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,937 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#9,937
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) — To digitally edit or alter (a picture or photograph).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

photoshop vs photoshoot
80% similar

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

Key facts for photoshop
PropertyValue
Headwordphotoshop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈfəʊ.təʊ.ʃɒp/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,937
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “photoshop” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). photoshop lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for photoshop is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfəʊ.təʊ.ʃɒp/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,937 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To digitally edit or alter (a picture or photograph).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for photoshop, with forms such as "hpotoshop", "phhotoshop", and "phootshop". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "photoshoot", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Genericized trademark of Adobe Photoshop, a widely-used graphics editor. This may in turn have been derived from its usage to refer to the camera room in the offset lithography process, where laid up pages could be extensively retouched before being transfe… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is photoshop, spelled P-H-O-T-O-S-H-O-P, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To digitally edit or alter (a picture or photograph).

Etymology

Genericized trademark of Adobe Photoshop, a widely-used graphics editor. This may in turn have been derived from its usage to refer to the camera room in the offset lithography process, where laid up pages could be extensively retouched before being transferred to the printing plates.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hpotoshop,phhotoshop,phootshop,photohsop,photoshhop,photoshopp,photoshpo,photosohp,photosshop,photsohop,phottoshop,phtooshop,pohtoshop,pphotoshop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of photoshop - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "photoshop"

hpotoshop2phhotoshop1phootshop2photohsop2photoshhop1photoshopp1photoshpo2photosohp2
Edit distance from "photoshop"

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.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “photoshop, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/photoshop

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "photoshop"?
"photoshop" is spelled P-H-O-T-O-S-H-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfəʊ.təʊ.ʃɒp/.
What does "photoshop" mean?
As a verb, "photoshop" means: To digitally edit or alter (a picture or photograph).
What words are commonly confused with "photoshop"?
"photoshop" is commonly confused with "photoshoot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "photoshop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "photoshop" is /ˈfəʊ.təʊ.ʃɒp/. 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 "photoshop"?
Genericized trademark of Adobe Photoshop, a widely-used graphics editor. This may in turn have been derived from its usage to refer to the camera room in the offset lithography process, where laid up pages could be extensively retouched before bei... 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.

Using “photoshop”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-H-O-T-O-S-H-O-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfəʊ.təʊ.ʃɒp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “photoshoot” - see the side-by-side comparison. photoshop vs photoshoot
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list