shed

/ʃɛd/

//ʃɛd// verb

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

"shed" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shed” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,894. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,894
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To part, separate or divide.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shed · shed · English

shed · rank #4,894 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,894
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH settings

Nearest frequency peer: settings (-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 “shed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “shed” 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 September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shed vs sue
50% similar
shed vs shy
50% similar
shed vs Sid
25% similar

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

Key facts for shed
PropertyValue
Headwordshed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʃɛd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,894
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shed” 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). shed 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 6 spelling variants around shed (IPA /ʃɛd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,894 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for shed, with forms such as "hsed", "sehd", and "shde". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sue", "shy", "Sid", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English scheden, schede, from Old English scēadan, scādan (“to separate, divide, part, make a line of separation between; remove from association or companionship; distinguish, discriminate, decide, determine, appoint; shatter, shed; expound; de… The correct English form is shed, spelled S-H-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To part, separate or divide.
  2. 2
    To part with, separate from, leave off; cast off, cast, let fall, be divested of.
  3. 3
    To pour; to make flow.
  4. 4
    To allow to flow or fall.
  5. 5
    To radiate, cast, give off (light).
  6. 6
    To pour forth, give off, impart.
  7. 7
    To fall in drops; to pour.
  8. 8
    To sprinkle; to intersperse; to cover.
  9. 9
    To divide, as the warp threads, so as to form a shed, or passageway, for the shuttle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to shed something in two
  2. to shed the sheep from the lambs

Etymology

From Middle English scheden, schede, from Old English scēadan, scādan (“to separate, divide, part, make a line of separation between; remove from association or companionship; distinguish, discriminate, decide, determine, appoint; shatter, shed; expound; decree; write down; differ”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaiþan, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþaną (compare West Frisian skiede, Dutch and German scheiden), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyt- (“to cut, part, divide, separate”), from *skey-. See also Irish scian (“knife”), Lithuanian skėsti (“to spread”), ski̇́esti (“to separate”), Old Church Slavonic цѣдити (cěditi, “to filter, strain”), Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”), Old Armenian ցտեմ (cʻtem, “to scratch”), Sanskrit च्यति (cyáti, “he cuts off”)). Related to shoad, shit, sheath.

This word in other languages

separar(Español)séparer(Français)teilen(Deutsch)descartar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsed
  • sehd
  • shde
  • shedd
  • shhed
  • sshed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsed2sehd2shde2shedd1shhed1sshed1
Edit distance from "shed"

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 September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shed"?
"shed" is spelled S-H-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃɛd/.
What does "shed" mean?
As a verb, "shed" means: To part, separate or divide.
What words are commonly confused with "shed"?
"shed" is commonly confused with "sue", "shy", "Sid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shed" is /ʃɛd/. 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 "shed"?
From Middle English scheden, schede, from Old English scēadan, scādan (“to separate, divide, part, make a line of separation between; remove from association or companionship; distinguish, discriminate, decide, determine, appoint; shatter, shed; e... 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 "shed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pole#4,879Utah#4,909palm#4,876Greg#4,859

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

rolls6 variantsusage6 variantsMario6 variantsbeats6 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