shepherd
shep·herd/ˈʃɛpəɹd/noun, verb
shepherd is spelled S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D: 8 letters and 2 syllables (shep·herd). It appears 7.9 times per million words in written English, the 8,266th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shepherd means “A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing flock” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shepherd is shepherds.
How many letters and syllables are in shepherd?
| Letters | 8: S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: shep·herd |
| In writing | 7.9 times per million words; the 8,266th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is shepherd?
Shepherd appears 7.9 times per million words in written English, the 8,266th 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 shepherd?
- UK /ˈʃɛpəd/
- US /ˈʃɛpəɹd/
Shepherd has 2 syllables, split shep·herd in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-shepherd.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with shepherd?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as shepherd from its last stressed vowel (/ɛpəɹd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of shepherd
- shepherds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shepherding participle, present
- shepherded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shepherd mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing flock.
- 2
A male sheep tender
- 3
Someone who watches over, looks after, or guides somebody.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
- 4
A male watcher/guardian/guider/leader
- 5
The pastor of a church; one who guides others in religion.
- 6
A male pastor
- 7
A swain; a rustic male lover.
- 8
A German Shepherd.
verb
- 1
To watch over; to guide.
- 2
To obstruct an opponent from getting to the ball, either when a teammate has it or is going for it, or if the ball is about to bounce through the goal or out of bounds.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shepherd in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | berger, bergère, pasteur, pâtre, pastoureau |
| German | Schäfer, Schafhirt, Hirt(e) , Hirt, Hirte, Hirtin |
| Portuguese | pastor, pegureiro, ovelheiro , conduzir, guiar |
| Spanish | pastor, ovejero , pastorear |
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 shepherd come from?
From Middle English schepherde, from Old English sċēaphierde, a compound of sċēap (“sheep”) and hierde (“herdsman”), equivalent to modern sheep + herd (“herder”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).