shibboleth
/ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/noun
shibboleth is spelled S-H-I-B-B-O-L-E-T-H: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 94,827th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shibboleth means “A particular pronunciation or custom that is regarded as distinguishing members of a group from non-members, especially when used as a test” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shibboleth is shibboleths.
How many letters and syllables are in shibboleth?
| Letters | 10: S-H-I-B-B-O-L-E-T-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 94,827th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is shibboleth?
Shibboleth appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 94,827th 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 shibboleth?
- /ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/
- /ˈʃɪbələθ/
Shibboleth has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-shibboleth.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of shibboleth
- shibboleths plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shibboleth mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A particular pronunciation or custom that is regarded as distinguishing members of a group from non-members, especially when used as a test.
- 2
A common or longstanding belief, custom, or catchphrase associated with a particular group, especially one with little current meaning or truth.
It's about time we abandoned the bourgeois shibboleth that earning money makes you a better person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shibboleth in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | schibboleth, shibboleth |
| German | Schibboleth, Erkennungszeichen, Unterscheidungszeichen, Chiffre, Kennwort, Schlüsselwort |
| Portuguese | xibolete |
| Spanish | santo y seña, contraseña, shíbolez , doctrina anticuada |
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 shibboleth come from?
Learned borrowing from Biblical Hebrew שִׁבֹּלֶת /שיבולת (šibbṓleṯ, “ear [of wheat] or stream, torrent”). Doublet of sebboleth and Middle English sebolech, both from Late Latin sebboleth in the Vulgate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).