sherry

/ˈʃɛɹi/

//ˈʃɛɹi// noun

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

"sherry" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sherry” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,241 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,241
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fortified wine produced in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, or a similar wine produced elsewhere.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sherry vs sorry
67% similar
sherry vs surry
67% similar
sherry vs sierra
67% similar

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

Key facts for sherry
PropertyValue
Headwordsherry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɛɹi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,241
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sherry” 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). sherry lands here:

#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 sherry is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃɛɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,241 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 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sherry, with forms such as "hserry", "sehrry", and "sherryy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "sorry", "surry", "sierra", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation of earlier sherris (interpreted as a plural), from Spanish (vino de) Xeres (“wine of Xeres”), Xeres being the former spelling of Jerez (pronounced /ʃeˈɾes/ in early modern Andalusian Spanish). The correct English form is sherry, spelled S-H-E-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fortified wine produced in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, or a similar wine produced elsewhere.
  2. 2
    A variety of sherry.
  3. 3
    A glass of sherry.

Etymology

Back-formation of earlier sherris (interpreted as a plural), from Spanish (vino de) Xeres (“wine of Xeres”), Xeres being the former spelling of Jerez (pronounced /ʃeˈɾes/ in early modern Andalusian Spanish).

This word in other languages

jerez(Español)xérès(Français)Sherry(Deutsch)xerez(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hserry,sehrry,sherryy,shery,sheryr,shherry,shrery,ssherry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hserry2sehrry2sherryy1shery1sheryr2shherry1shrery2ssherry1
Edit distance from "sherry"

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 "sherry"?
"sherry" is spelled S-H-E-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɛɹi/.
What does "sherry" mean?
As a noun, "sherry" means: A fortified wine produced in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, or a similar wine produced elsewhere.
What words are commonly confused with "sherry"?
"sherry" is commonly confused with "sorry", "surry", "sierra". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sherry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sherry" is /ˈʃɛɹi/. 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 "sherry"?
Back-formation of earlier sherris (interpreted as a plural), from Spanish (vino de) Xeres (“wine of Xeres”), Xeres being the former spelling of Jerez (pronounced /ʃeˈɾes/ in early modern Andalusian Spanish). 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 “sherry”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-E-R-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃɛɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sorry” - see the side-by-side comparison. sherry vs sorry
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list