Sherlock

/ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/

//ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk// name

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

"sherlock" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Sherlock” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,766. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,766
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An English surname transferred from the nickname.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sherlock · Sherlock · English

Sherlock · rank #10,766 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,766
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH schooling

Nearest frequency peer: schooling (-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 “Sherlock”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Sherlock” 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
Key facts for Sherlock
PropertyValue
HeadwordSherlock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,766
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Sherlock”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Sherlocklands 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 “schooling” (#10,765), “Shirley” (#10,767), “Schmidt” (#10,764). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Sherlock” is #10,766. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around Sherlock (IPA /ˈʃɜɹ.lɒk/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #10,766 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. — Where that arrow on the map says 'You are here', that must be where we are. — Yeah, well done Sherlock.

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.

hserlock2sehrlock2shelrock2sherlcok2sherllock1sherlocck1sherlockk1sherlokc2
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Sherlock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

solitary#10,771retarded#10,755resemble#10,754paranoid#10,742

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

uncovered13 variantsundertake13 variantsparamount13 variantsviolating13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list