shameful

/ˈʃeɪmfəl/

//ˈʃeɪmfəl// adj

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

"shameful" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shameful” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,608. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,608
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing or meriting shame or disgrace; disgraceful

Corpus desk

Index EN-shameful · shameful · English

shameful · rank #13,608 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #13,608
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shortest

Nearest frequency peer: shortest (+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 “shameful”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shameful” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shameful vs shamefully
80% similar

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

Key facts for shameful
PropertyValue
Headwordshameful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈʃeɪmfəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,608
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shameful”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).shamefullands 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 “shortest” (#13,609), “Sid” (#13,610), “seeded” (#13,605). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shameful” is #13,608. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around shameful (IPA /ˈʃeɪmfəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,608 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for shameful, with forms such as "hsameful", "sahmeful", and "shaemful". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "shamefully", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schameful, schamfull, from Old English *sċeamfull, sċeomfull, equivalent to shame + -ful. Cognate with Danish skamfuld (“shameful, shamefast, ashamed”). The correct English form is shameful, spelled S-H-A-M-E-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing or meriting shame or disgrace; disgraceful
  2. 2
    Giving offense.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. shameful publicity
  2. a shameful act

Etymology

From Middle English schameful, schamfull, from Old English *sċeamfull, sċeomfull, equivalent to shame + -ful. Cognate with Danish skamfuld (“shameful, shamefast, ashamed”).

Synonyms

despicable

This word in other languages

vergonzoso(Español)honteux(Français)beschämend(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsameful
  • sahmeful
  • shaemful
  • shamefful
  • shameflu
  • shamefull
  • shameufl
  • shamfeul
  • shammeful
  • shhameful
  • shmaeful
  • sshameful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shameful - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hsameful2sahmeful2shaemful2shamefful1shameflu2shamefull1shameufl2shamfeul2
Edit distance from "shameful"

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 "shameful"?
"shameful" is spelled S-H-A-M-E-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃeɪmfəl/.
What does "shameful" mean?
As an adjective, "shameful" means: Causing or meriting shame or disgrace; disgraceful
What words are commonly confused with "shameful"?
"shameful" is commonly confused with "shamefully". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shameful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shameful" is /ˈʃeɪmfəl/. 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 "shameful"?
From Middle English schameful, schamfull, from Old English *sċeamfull, sċeomfull, equivalent to shame + -ful. Cognate with Danish skamfuld (“shameful, shamefast, ashamed”). 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 "shameful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shortest#13,609skipping#13,611springer#13,615rosemary#13,596

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

pounding12 variantspoisonous12 variantspiercing12 variantsupsetting12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list