shampoo

/ʃæmˈpuː/

//ʃæmˈpuː// noun

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

"shampoo" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shampoo” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,421. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,421
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A traditional Indian and Persian body massage given after pouring warm water over the body and rubbing it with extracts from herbs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shampoo · shampoo · English

shampoo · rank #13,421 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,421
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Semitic

Nearest frequency peer: Semitic (-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 “shampoo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shampoo” 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 shampoo
PropertyValue
Headwordshampoo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʃæmˈpuː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,421
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shampoo”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).shampoolands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Semitic” (#13,420), “Shaun” (#13,422), “seaside” (#13,419). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shampoo” is #13,421. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around shampoo (IPA /ʃæmˈpuː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,421 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for shampoo, with forms such as "hsampoo", "sahmpoo", and "shammpoo". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hindi चाँपो (cā̃po) / चांपो (cāmpo), imperative form of चाँपना (cā̃pnā) / चांपना (cāmpnā, “to press, knead”), mid 18th c. The correct English form is shampoo, spelled S-H-A-M-P-O-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional Indian and Persian body massage given after pouring warm water over the body and rubbing it with extracts from herbs.
  2. 2
    A commercial liquid soaplike product for washing hair or other fibers, such as carpets.
  3. 3
    An instance of washing the hair or other fibres with shampoo.
  4. 4
    Champagne.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These endocrine disruptors are everywhere: plastics, shampoos, cosmetics, cushions, pesticides, canned foods and A.T.M. receipts. They often aren’t on labels and can be difficult to avoid.
  2. I’m going to give the carpet a shampoo.

Etymology

From Hindi चाँपो (cā̃po) / चांपो (cāmpo), imperative form of चाँपना (cā̃pnā) / चांपना (cāmpnā, “to press, knead”), mid 18th c.

This word in other languages

champú(Español)shampoing(Français)Shampoo(Deutsch)xampu(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsampoo
  • sahmpoo
  • shammpoo
  • shamopo
  • shampo
  • shamppoo
  • shapmoo
  • shhampoo
  • shmapoo
  • sshampoo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsampoo2sahmpoo2shammpoo1shamopo2shampo1shamppoo1shapmoo2shhampoo1
Edit distance from "shampoo"

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 "shampoo"?
"shampoo" is spelled S-H-A-M-P-O-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃæmˈpuː/.
What does "shampoo" mean?
As a noun, "shampoo" means: A traditional Indian and Persian body massage given after pouring warm water over the body and rubbing it with extracts from herbs.
What are common misspellings of "shampoo"?
Common misspellings include "hsampoo", "sahmpoo", "shammpoo", "shamopo", "shampo". The correct spelling is "shampoo".
How do you pronounce "shampoo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shampoo" is /ʃæmˈpuː/. 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 "shampoo"?
From Hindi चाँपो (cā̃po) / चांपो (cāmpo), imperative form of चाँपना (cā̃pnā) / चांपना (cāmpnā, “to press, knead”), mid 18th c. 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 "shampoo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Semitic#13,420seaside#13,419stamped#13,430telecom#13,437

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

passions10 variantsNichols10 variantsmemoirs10 variantsautopsy10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list