shepherds

/ˈʃɛpɚdz/

//ˈʃɛpɚdz// noun

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

"shepherds" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shepherds” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,934. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,934
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of shepherd

Corpus desk

Index EN-shepherds · shepherds · English

shepherds · rank #21,934 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #21,934
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shatter

Nearest frequency peer: shatter (-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 “shepherds”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shepherds” 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).

shepherds vs shepherd
89% similar

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

Key facts for shepherds
PropertyValue
Headwordshepherds
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɛpɚdz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#21,934
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shepherds”

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).shepherdslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “shatter” (#21,933), “shoving” (#21,935), “shaman” (#21,932). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shepherds” is #21,934. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around shepherds (IPA /ˈʃɛpɚdz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,934 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "plural of shepherd".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for shepherds, with forms such as "hsepherds", "sehpherds", and "shehperds". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "shepherd", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 shepherds, spelled S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of shepherd

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsepherds
  • sehpherds
  • shehperds
  • shepehrds
  • shephedrs
  • shepherdds
  • shepherdss
  • shepherrds
  • shephersd
  • shephherds
  • shephreds
  • sheppherds
  • shhepherds
  • shpeherds
  • sshepherds

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsepherds2sehpherds2shehperds2shepehrds2shephedrs2shepherdds1shepherdss1shepherrds1
Edit distance from "shepherds"

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 "shepherds"?
"shepherds" is spelled S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɛpɚdz/.
What does "shepherds" mean?
As a noun, "shepherds" means: plural of shepherd
What words are commonly confused with "shepherds"?
"shepherds" is commonly confused with "shepherd". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shepherds"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shepherds" is /ˈʃɛpɚdz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "shepherds" come from?
"shepherds" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "shepherds", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

seduction#21,923straining#21,950reverence#21,915relieving#21,914

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

southbound15 variantssuperpower15 variantsreciprocal15 variantsTimberlake15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list