shakedown

/ˈʃeɪkdaʊn/

//ˈʃeɪkdaʊn// noun

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

"shakedown" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shakedown” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,481. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,481
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Extortion, especially through blackmail

Corpus desk

Index EN-shakedown · shakedown · English

shakedown · rank #44,481 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,481
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Shackleton

Nearest frequency peer: Shackleton (-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 “shakedown”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shakedown” 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
Key facts for shakedown
PropertyValue
Headwordshakedown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃeɪkdaʊn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#44,481
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shakedown”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Shackleton” (#44,480), “shamefully” (#44,482), “Sendai” (#44,479). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shakedown” is #44,481. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around shakedown (IPA /ˈʃeɪkdaʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,481 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for shakedown, with forms such as "hsakedown", "sahkedown", and "shaekdown". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from shake down. An improvised bed would originally have been made by shaking down straw. The correct English form is shakedown, spelled S-H-A-K-E-D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Extortion, especially through blackmail
  2. 2
    A thorough search; a frisk
  3. 3
    A trial or test period, especially of a ship or aircraft.
  4. 4
    An improvised bed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What is this, a shakedown?
  2. Four Thai police officers charged with murder in connection with the deadly shakedown of a suspected drug dealer in custody were arrested Wednesday after a video clip of the incident shared on social media caused a public furor.

Etymology

Deverbal from shake down. An improvised bed would originally have been made by shaking down straw.

This word in other languages

Durchsuchung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsakedown
  • sahkedown
  • shaekdown
  • shakdeown
  • shakeddown
  • shakedonw
  • shakedownn
  • shakedowwn
  • shakedwon
  • shakeodwn
  • shakkedown
  • shhakedown
  • shkaedown
  • sshakedown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsakedown2sahkedown2shaekdown2shakdeown2shakeddown1shakedonw2shakedownn1shakedowwn1
Edit distance from "shakedown"

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 "shakedown"?
"shakedown" is spelled S-H-A-K-E-D-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃeɪkdaʊn/.
What does "shakedown" mean?
As a noun, "shakedown" means: Extortion, especially through blackmail
What are common misspellings of "shakedown"?
Common misspellings include "hsakedown", "sahkedown", "shaekdown", "shakdeown", "shakeddown". The correct spelling is "shakedown".
How do you pronounce "shakedown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shakedown" is /ˈʃeɪkdaʊn/. 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 "shakedown"?
Deverbal from shake down. An improvised bed would originally have been made by shaking down straw. 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 "shakedown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scheduler#44,474Salamanca#44,468steelhead#44,504stoppages#44,508

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

shamefully14 variantsrecursion14 variantspubescent14 variantstriumphal14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list