Sherlock

Name: Sherlock, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/

//ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk// name

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“Sherlock” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,766 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#10,766
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An English surname transferred from the nickname.

Key facts for Sherlock
Property	Value
Headword	Sherlock
Language	English
Part of speech	Proper noun
IPA	/ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#10,766
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Sherlock” 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). Sherlock lands here:

#10,766

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Sherlock is 8 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,766 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Sherlock, with forms such as "hserlock", "sehrlock", and "shelrock". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Supposedly from an Old English scir-locc (“bright-lock”). One of a group of surnames originally denoting hair colour, parallel to Blacklock, Harlock (Old English har (“grey”)), Silverlock. In the sense of “a detective”, from Sherlock Holmes. In the computin… The correct English form is Sherlock, spelled S-H-E-R-L-O-C-K.

Definition

1
An English surname transferred from the nickname.
2
A male given name transferred from the surname, of rare usage.
3
A detective, especially used sarcastically to address somebody who has stated the obvious.

Etymology

Supposedly from an Old English scir-locc (“bright-lock”). One of a group of surnames originally denoting hair colour, parallel to Blacklock, Harlock (Old English har (“grey”)), Silverlock. In the sense of “a detective”, from Sherlock Holmes. In the computing verb sense, refers to the software Sherlock, which in 2002 came to replicate some of the features of an earlier complementary program called Watson.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hserlock,sehrlock,shelrock,sherlcok,sherllock,sherlocck,sherlockk,sherlokc,sherolck,sherrlock,shherlock,shrelock,ssherlock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "Sherlock"

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 "Sherlock"?

"Sherlock" is spelled S-H-E-R-L-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/.

What does "Sherlock" mean?

As a proper noun, "Sherlock" means: An English surname transferred from the nickname.

What are common misspellings of "Sherlock"?

Common misspellings include "hserlock", "sehrlock", "shelrock", "sherlcok", "sherllock". The correct spelling is "Sherlock".

How do you pronounce "Sherlock"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Sherlock" is /ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/. 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 "Sherlock"?

Supposedly from an Old English scir-locc (“bright-lock”). One of a group of surnames originally denoting hair colour, parallel to Blacklock, Harlock (Old English har (“grey”)), Silverlock. In the sense of “a detective”, from Sherlock Holmes. In th... 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.

Using “Sherlock”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is S-H-E-R-L-O-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

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.