shamble
sham·ble/ˈʃeə̯mbəl/noun, adjective, verb
shamble is spelled S-H-A-M-B-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (sham·ble). It appears about once in every 24 million words in written English, the 148,541st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shamble means “One of a succession of niches or platforms, one above another, to hold ore which is thrown successively from platform to platform, and thus raised to…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shamble is shambles.
How many letters and syllables are in shamble?
| Letters | 7: S-H-A-M-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sham·ble |
| In writing | about once in every 24 million words; the 148,541st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is shamble?
Shamble appears about once in every 24 million words in written English, the 148,541st 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 shamble?
- /ˈʃæmbəl/
- [ˈʃʰæmbəl] ~ [ˈʃʰæmbl̩]
- US /ˈʃeə̯mbəl/
Shamble has 2 syllables, split sham·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-shamble.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of shamble
- shambles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shambling participle, present
- shambled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shamble mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of a succession of niches or platforms, one above another, to hold ore which is thrown successively from platform to platform, and thus raised to a higher level.
verb
- 1
To walk while shuffling or dragging the feet.
I wasn't too impressed with the fellow, when he shambled in unenthusiastically and an hour late.
adjective
- 1
rareShambling, awkward, ungainly; distorted, ill-shapen, wry.
His awkward stagger is due to his shamble legs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shamble in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to walk while shuffling or dragging the feet:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | schlurfen, schleichen, watscheln |
| Spanish | arrastrar los pies |
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 shamble come from?
From Middle English schambyll, shamyll, schamel, from Old English sċeamol, scamol (“bench, stool”), from Proto-West Germanic *skamul, *skamil, from Proto-Germanic *skamulaz, *skamilaz, from Latin scamellum, a variant of scabellum (“footstool”). Cognate with West Frisian skammel (“shamble, trestle, stool", also (in the plural) "legs, especially when showing defects or deformities”), Dutch schemel (“footstool, bench”), German Schemel (“stool”), Danish skammel (“stool”). Icelandic skemill (“footstool”). The verb is probably derived from the adjective, itself from attributive use of the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).