shamrock

/ˈʃæm.ɹɒk/

//ˈʃæm.ɹɒk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“shamrock” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,280. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,280
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The trefoil leaf of any small clover, especially Trifolium repens, or such a leaf from a clover-like plant, commonly used as a symbol of Ireland.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shamrock · shamrock · English

shamrock · rank #34,280 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,280
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 54,294
  • PHOTO-FINISH sequentially

Nearest frequency peer: sequentially (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “shamrock”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “shamrock” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for shamrock
PropertyValue
Headwordshamrock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃæm.ɹɒk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#34,280
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shamrock” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around shamrock (IPA /ˈʃæm.ɹɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,280 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for shamrock, with forms such as "hsamrock", "sahmrock", and "shammrock". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Irish seamróg, from Old Irish semróc, diminutive of semar, semair (“clover”), from Proto-Celtic *semarā, *semaris (compare Gaulish uisumaris (“clover”)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *semh₁r-, *smeh₁r-. Related to Old Norse smári (“clover”) and po… The correct English form is shamrock, spelled S-H-A-M-R-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The trefoil leaf of any small clover, especially Trifolium repens, or such a leaf from a clover-like plant, commonly used as a symbol of Ireland.
  2. 2
    Any of several species of small clover-like plant species, with trefoil leaves, especially Trifolium repens.

Etymology

From Irish seamróg, from Old Irish semróc, diminutive of semar, semair (“clover”), from Proto-Celtic *semarā, *semaris (compare Gaulish uisumaris (“clover”)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *semh₁r-, *smeh₁r-. Related to Old Norse smári (“clover”) and possibly Georgian სამყურა (samq̇ura, “clover”).

Synonyms

trefoilclovertrefoil

This word in other languages

trébol(Español)trèfle(Français)Kleeblatt(Deutsch)trevo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsamrock
  • sahmrock
  • shammrock
  • shamorck
  • shamrcok
  • shamrocck
  • shamrockk
  • shamrokc
  • shamrrock
  • sharmock
  • shhamrock
  • shmarock
  • sshamrock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsamrock2sahmrock2shammrock1shamorck2shamrcok2shamrocck1shamrockk1shamrokc2
Edit distance from "shamrock"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shamrock"?
"shamrock" is spelled S-H-A-M-R-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃæm.ɹɒk/.
What does "shamrock" mean?
As a noun, "shamrock" means: The trefoil leaf of any small clover, especially Trifolium repens, or such a leaf from a clover-like plant, commonly used as a symbol of Ireland.
What are common misspellings of "shamrock"?
Common misspellings include "hsamrock", "sahmrock", "shammrock", "shamorck", "shamrcok". The correct spelling is "shamrock".
How do you pronounce "shamrock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shamrock" is /ˈʃæm.ɹɒk/. 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 "shamrock"?
From Irish seamróg, from Old Irish semróc, diminutive of semar, semair (“clover”), from Proto-Celtic *semarā, *semaris (compare Gaulish uisumaris (“clover”)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *semh₁r-, *smeh₁r-. Related to Old Norse smári (“clove... 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 "shamrock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shearing#34,281shelving#34,282seething#34,277savagery#34,273

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

sauvignon13 variantsTompkins13 variantsperiscope13 variantspensioner13 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list