shadow

/ˈʃædəʊ/

//ˈʃædəʊ// noun

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

"shadow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shadow” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,395. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,395
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shadow · shadow · English

shadow · rank #3,395 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,395
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH settled

Nearest frequency peer: settled (-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 “shadow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shadow” 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).

shadow vs show
67% similar
shadow vs shaw
67% similar
shadow vs shady
67% similar

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

Key facts for shadow
PropertyValue
Headwordshadow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃædəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,395
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shadow”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).shadowlands 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 “settled” (#3,394), “singles” (#3,396), “savings” (#3,393). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shadow” is #3,395. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around shadow (IPA /ˈʃædəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,395 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for shadow, with forms such as "hsadow", "sahdow", and "shaddow". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "show", "shaw", "shady", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schadowe, schadewe, schadwe (also schade > shade), from Old English sċeaduwe, sċeadwe, oblique form of sċeadu (“shadow, shade; darkness; protection”), from Proto-West Germanic *skadu, from Proto-Germanic *skadwaz (“shade, shadow”), from … The correct English form is shadow, spelled S-H-A-D-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.
  2. 2
    Relative darkness, especially as caused by the interruption of light; gloom; obscurity.
  3. 3
    An area protected by an obstacle (likened to an object blocking out sunlight).
  4. 4
    A reflected image, as in a mirror or in water.
  5. 5
    That which looms as though a shadow.
  6. 6
    A small degree; a shade.
  7. 7
    An imperfect and faint representation.
  8. 8
    A trainee, assigned to work with an experienced officer.
  9. 9
    One who secretly or furtively follows another.
  10. 10
    An inseparable companion.
  11. 11
    A drop shadow effect applied to lettering in word processors etc.
  12. 12
    An influence, especially a pervasive or a negative one.
  13. 13
    A spirit; a ghost; a shade.
  14. 14
    An uninvited guest accompanying one who was invited.
  15. 15
    An unconscious aspect of the personality.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My shadow lengthened as the sun began to set.
  2. The X-ray showed a shadow on his lung.

Etymology

From Middle English schadowe, schadewe, schadwe (also schade > shade), from Old English sċeaduwe, sċeadwe, oblique form of sċeadu (“shadow, shade; darkness; protection”), from Proto-West Germanic *skadu, from Proto-Germanic *skadwaz (“shade, shadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃- (“darkness”). Cognates Cognate with Scots shedda (“shadow”), Saterland Frisian Skaad, Skade (“shade, shadow”), West Frisian skaad, skâd (“shade, shadow”), Central Franconian and Limburgish Schatte (“shadow”), Dutch schade, schaduw (“shadow”), German Schatten (“shade, shadow”), German Low German Scharr, Scharre (“shade, shadow”), Luxembourgish Schiet (“shade, shadow”), Vilamovian siota (“shadow”), Yiddish שאָטן (shotn, “shadow”), Faroese skadda (“thick wet mountain fog”), Icelandic skodda, skoddi (“shadow”), Norwegian Bokmål skodde (“fog, mist”), Norwegian Nynorsk skodde, skåddj, skåidd (“fog; ice fog”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌳𐌿𐍃 (skadus, “shadow”); also Breton skeud (“shadow; reflection; ghost”), Cornish skeus (“shadow; reflection”), Irish scáth (“shadow”), Manx scaa, skæ (“shield; shade, shadow”), Scottish Gaelic sgàth (“shade, shadow”), Latin obscurus (“dark, dusky, shadowy”), Ancient Greek σκότος (skótos, “darkness, gloom”) (whence English scoto-), Belarusian сівы́ (sivý, “grey”), Czech and Slovak sivý (“grey”), Macedonian осој (osoj, “shady place”), Polish siwy (“grey”), Russian си́вый (sívyj, “grey”), Serbo-Croatian сив, siv (“grey”), Slovene osoja (“shady place”), Ukrainian си́вий (sývyj, “grey”), Armenian սեաւ (seaw), սեւ (sew, “black”), Ossetian сау (saw, “black”), Persian سه (sah), سیه (siyah), سیاه (siyâh, “black”), Sanskrit श्याम (śyāma, “black”), श्याव (śyāva, “dark”).

This word in other languages

sombra(Español)ombre(Français)Schatten(Deutsch)sombra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsadow
  • sahdow
  • shaddow
  • shadoww
  • shadwo
  • shaodw
  • shdaow
  • shhadow
  • sshadow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shadow - 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.

hsadow2sahdow2shaddow1shadoww1shadwo2shaodw2shdaow2shhadow1
Edit distance from "shadow"

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 "shadow"?
"shadow" is spelled S-H-A-D-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃædəʊ/.
What does "shadow" mean?
As a noun, "shadow" means: A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.
What words are commonly confused with "shadow"?
"shadow" is commonly confused with "show", "shaw", "shady". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shadow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shadow" is /ˈʃædəʊ/. 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 "shadow"?
From Middle English schadowe, schadewe, schadwe (also schade > shade), from Old English sċeaduwe, sċeadwe, oblique form of sċeadu (“shadow, shade; darkness; protection”), from Proto-West Germanic *skadu, from Proto-Germanic *skadwaz (“shade, shado... 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 "shadow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thread#3,399avenue#3,406blocks#3,410boring#3,411

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

settled9 variantspassion9 variantsmuscle9 variantslegend9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list