redshift

/ˈɹɛdˌʃɪft/

//ˈɹɛdˌʃɪft// noun

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

"redshift" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“redshift” is uncommon English (frequency #55,684 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,684
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An increase in the wavelength of a photon or of light, corresponding to a lower frequency and a shift toward the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Corpus desk

Index EN-redshift · redshift · English

redshift · rank #55,684 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,684
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recumbent

Nearest frequency peer: recumbent (-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 “redshift”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for redshift
PropertyValue
Headwordredshift
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɛdˌʃɪft/
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,684
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “redshift” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “recumbent” (#55,683), “reframe” (#55,685), “reclassification” (#55,682). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “redshift” is #55,684. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

redshift is uncommon English at frequency #55,684 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹɛdˌʃɪft/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An increase in the wavelength of a photon or of light, corresponding to a lower frequency and a shift toward the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for redshift, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From red + shift. The correct English form is redshift, spelled R-E-D-S-H-I-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An increase in the wavelength of a photon or of light, corresponding to a lower frequency and a shift toward the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Etymology

From red + shift.

This word in other languages

décalage vers le rouge(Français)Rotverschiebung(Deutsch)

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 "redshift"?
"redshift" is spelled R-E-D-S-H-I-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛdˌʃɪft/.
What does "redshift" mean?
As a noun, "redshift" means: An increase in the wavelength of a photon or of light, corresponding to a lower frequency and a shift toward the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum.
How do you pronounce "redshift"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "redshift" is /ˈɹɛdˌʃɪft/. 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 "redshift"?
From red + shift. 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 "redshift", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

restorer#55,688reverent#55,689rarefied#55,678rapeseed#55,677

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list