shadowy

Name: shadowy, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈʃæd.oʊ.i/

//ˈʃæd.oʊ.i// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“shadowy” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,358. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,358
frequency rank, English: 6,566
“S” headwords: 11
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In shadow; darkened by shadows.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shadowy · shadowy · English

shadowy · rank #21,358 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

FREQ-MID #21,358
LEN-LONG 7 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
VAR-MID 11 variants
BOOK-DENSE 6,566
PHOTO-FINISH sens

Nearest frequency peer: sens (-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.

seduce

78,646
semifinal

78,645
sens

78,644
shadowy

78,643
shun

78,642
sidekick

78,641

What this shows “shadowy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shadowy vs shady

71% similar

shadowy vs showy

71% similar

shadowy vs shadow

86% similar

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

Key facts for shadowy
Property	Value
Headword	shadowy
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈʃæd.oʊ.i/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#21,358
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shadowy”

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

#21,358

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sens” (#21,357), “shun” (#21,359), “semifinal” (#21,356). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shadowy” is #21,358. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around shadowy (IPA /ˈʃæd.oʊ.i/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #21,358 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for shadowy, with forms such as "hsadowy", "sahdowy", and "shaddowy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "shady", "showy", "shadow", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schadwy, schadowy, equivalent to shadow + -y. The correct English form is shadowy, spelled S-H-A-D-O-W-Y.

Definition

1
In shadow; darkened by shadows.
2
Dark, obscure.
3
Vague, dim, unclear, faint of an image.
4
Indulging in fancies; daydreaming.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

He sat in a shadowy corner.
He was a shadowy man who rarely spoke.

Etymology

From Middle English schadwy, schadowy, equivalent to shadow + -y.

This word in other languages

sombreado(Español)sombre(Français)schattig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

hsadowy
sahdowy
shaddowy
shadowwy
shadowyy
shadoyw
shadwoy
shaodwy
shdaowy
shhadowy
sshadowy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shadowy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "shadowy"

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 "shadowy"?

"shadowy" is spelled S-H-A-D-O-W-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃæd.oʊ.i/.

What does "shadowy" mean?

As an adjective, "shadowy" means: In shadow; darkened by shadows.

What words are commonly confused with "shadowy"?

"shadowy" is commonly confused with "shady", "showy", "shadow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "shadowy"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shadowy" is /ˈʃæd.oʊ.i/. 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 "shadowy"?

From Middle English schadwy, schadowy, equivalent to shadow + -y. 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 "shadowy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spectre#21,367 revolve#21,342 terrier#21,382 thistle#21,385

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

rallying11 variants perched11 variants Whitaker11 variants wildest11 variants