shellac
/ʃəˈlæk/noun, verb
shellac is spelled S-H-E-L-L-A-C: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shellac means “A processed secretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca; used in polishes, varnishes etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shellac is shellacs.
How many letters and syllables are in shellac?
| Letters | 7: S-H-E-L-L-A-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is shellac?
Shellac appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce shellac?
- /ʃəˈlæk/
- /ʃɛˈlæk/
- /ˈʃɛlæk/
Shellac has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-shellac.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with shellac
Also written: shell-lac.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of shellac
- shellacs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shellacking participle, present
- shellacked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shellac mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A processed secretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca; used in polishes, varnishes etc.
- 2
USinformalA beating; a thrashing.
verb
- 1
To coat with shellac.
- 2
USinformalTo beat; to thrash.
- 3
USinformalTo inflict a heavy defeat upon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shellac in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gomme-laque , laquer |
| German | Schellack , lackieren |
| Portuguese | goma-laca |
| Spanish | goma laca , lacar, laquear |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does shellac come from?
From shell + lac, calque of French laque en écailles (literally “lac in scales/shells”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).