# Shakespeare

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈʃeɪkspɪɹ/ · frequency rank #7,178

## Definitions
1. A surname.
2. William Shakespeare, an English playwright and poet of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
3. His works or media adaptations of his works.
4. A place name:
5. A place name:

## Etymology
A common Middle English surname meaning spearman, corresponding to shake (“to brandish a weapon”) + spear.

## Easily confused with
- **Shakespearean** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shakespeare-vs-shakespearean)

## Common misspellings (16)
`hsakespeare`, `sahkespeare`, `shaekspeare`, `shakepseare`, `shakesepare`, `shakespaere`, `shakespeaer`, `shakespearre`, `shakesperae`, `shakesppeare`, `shakesspeare`, `shakkespeare`, `shaksepeare`, `shhakespeare`, `shkaespeare`, `sshakespeare`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shakespeare