shape-shifter
/ˈʃeɪp.ʃɪf.tə/
"shape-shifter" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“shape-shifter” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative form of shapeshifter.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | shape-shifter |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈʃeɪp.ʃɪf.tə/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “shape-shifter” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
shape-shifter is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʃeɪp.ʃɪf.tə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Alternative form of shapeshifter.".
shape-shifter doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is shape-shifter, spelled S-H-A-P-E---S-H-I-F-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1Alternative form of shapeshifter.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “shape-shifter”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-H-A-P-E---S-H-I-F-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈʃeɪp.ʃɪf.tə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.