shazam

/ʃəˈzæm/

//ʃəˈzæm// intj

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

"shazam" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shazam” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,344. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,344
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to indicate that a magic trick or other illusion has been performed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shazam · shazam · English

shazam · rank #31,344 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,344
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH serenade

Nearest frequency peer: serenade (-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 “shazam”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shazam” 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).

shazam vs sham
67% similar
shazam vs Salam
50% similar
shazam vs shaka
67% similar

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

Key facts for shazam
PropertyValue
Headwordshazam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/ʃəˈzæm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,344
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shazam”

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).shazamlands 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 “serenade” (#31,343), “sideshow” (#31,345), “senna” (#31,341). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shazam” is #31,344. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around shazam (IPA /ʃəˈzæm/), aninterjection. Corpus frequency is #31,344 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Used to indicate that a magic trick or other illusion has been performed.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for shazam, with forms such as "hsazam", "sahzam", and "shaazm". 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 also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "sham", "Salam", "shaka", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Apparently coined by American comic book writer Bill Parker in February 1940, from the first letters of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. The correct English form is shazam, spelled S-H-A-Z-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used to indicate that a magic trick or other illusion has been performed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Tahitian kids had ridden out most of their lives, and they were busy riding in on their surf mats and belly boards. But when they met the out part, shazam!
  2. My parents lived in the Last Naïf Age: the last ‘good war’, atoms for peace, and parental philosophy that said children should do and say exactly what we do and say, and Shazam! You'll be us.

Etymology

Apparently coined by American comic book writer Bill Parker in February 1940, from the first letters of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsazam
  • sahzam
  • shaazm
  • shazamm
  • shazma
  • shazzam
  • shhazam
  • shzaam
  • sshazam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsazam2sahzam2shaazm2shazamm1shazma2shazzam1shhazam1shzaam2
Edit distance from "shazam"

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 "shazam"?
"shazam" is spelled S-H-A-Z-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃəˈzæm/.
What does "shazam" mean?
As an interjection, "shazam" means: Used to indicate that a magic trick or other illusion has been performed.
What words are commonly confused with "shazam"?
"shazam" is commonly confused with "sham", "Salam", "shaka". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shazam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shazam" is /ʃəˈzæm/. 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 "shazam"?
Apparently coined by American comic book writer Bill Parker in February 1940, from the first letters of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. 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 "shazam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

seamen#31,339seabed#31,338smurfs#31,352sander#31,332

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

saddled9 variantstabled9 variantsTaggart9 variantstakeout9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list