shadow
shad·ow/ˈʃædəʊ̯/noun, adjective, verb
shadow is spelled S-H-A-D-O-W, 2 syllables: shad·ow. The wrong spelling people search most is shaddow: about 60 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 200 of all searches for the word. Shadow is a noun meaning “A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object”. The plural of shadow is shadows.
How many letters and syllables are in shadow?
| Letters | 6: S-H-A-D-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: shad·ow |
| In writing | 28 times per million words; the 3,364th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, shaddow, about 60 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell shadow?
Shadow is spelled S-H-A-D-O-W. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 199 of the searches for shadow in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is shadow?
Shadow appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,364th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce shadow?
- UK /ˈʃædəʊ̯/
- UK [ˈʃʰædəʊ̯]
- UK /ˈʃædɵʊ̯/
Shadow has 2 syllables, split shad·ow in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-shadow.ogg, En-au-shadow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of shadow
- shadows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more shadow comparative
- most shadow superlative
- shadowing participle, present
- shadowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shadow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.
My shadow lengthened as the sun began to set.
- 2
Relative darkness, especially as caused by the interruption of light; gloom; obscurity.
I immediately jumped into shadow as I saw them approach.
- 3
An area protected by an obstacle (likened to an object blocking out sunlight).
The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow" of dryness behind them.
- 4
obsoleteA reflected image, as in a mirror or in water.
- 5
That which looms as though a shadow.
I lived in her shadow my whole life.
- 6
A small degree; a shade.
He did not give even a shadow of respect to the professor.
- 7
An imperfect and faint representation.
He came back from war the shadow of a man.
- 8
UKA trainee, assigned to work with an experienced officer.
adjective
- 1
Unofficial, informal, unauthorized, but acting as though it were.
The human resources department has a shadow information technology group without headquarters knowledge.
- 2
Having power or influence, but not widely known or recognized.
The director has been giving shadow leadership to the other group's project to ensure its success.
- 3
CommonwealthPart of, or related to, the opposition in government.
- 4
USActing in a leadership role before being formally recognized.
The shadow cabinet cannot agree on the terms of the agreement due immediately after they are sworn in.
verb
- 1
To shade, cloud, or darken.
The artist chose to shadow this corner of the painting.
- 2
To block light or radio transmission from.
Looks like that cloud's going to shadow us.
- 3
To secretly or discreetly track or follow another, to keep under surveillance.
- 4
To represent faintly and imperfectly.
- 5
To hide; to conceal.
- 6
To accompany (a professional) during the working day, so as to learn about an occupation one intends to take up.
- 7
To make (an identifier, usually a variable) inaccessible by declaring another of the same name within the scope of the first.
- 8
To apply the shadowing process to (the contents of ROM).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shadow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ombre , prendre en filature, filer |
| German | Schatten , beschatten |
| Portuguese | sombra , sombrear , sombras, penumbra , vulto , sombreado |
| Spanish | sombra , ver cómo trabaja, aprender imitando |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does shadow come from?
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 *skaduz (“shade, shadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃- (“darkness”). Doublet of shade.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).