shilling

/ˈʃɪlɪŋ/

//ˈʃɪlɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“shilling” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,393. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,393
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A coin formerly used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries worth twelve old pence, or one twentieth of a pound sterling.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shilling · shilling · English

shilling · rank #23,393 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,393
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Shenzhen

Nearest frequency peer: Shenzhen (-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 “shilling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shilling” 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).

shilling vs smiling
75% similar
shilling vs shining
75% similar
shilling vs sibling
75% similar

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

Key facts for shilling
PropertyValue
Headwordshilling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɪlɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#23,393
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shilling”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).shillinglands 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 “Shenzhen” (#23,392), “shroud” (#23,394), “shawl” (#23,391). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shilling” is #23,393. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around shilling (IPA /ˈʃɪlɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,393 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for shilling, with forms such as "hsilling", "shhilling", and "shililng". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "smiling", "shining", "sibling", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schilling, shilling, from Old English sċilling, from Proto-Germanic *skillingaz, equivalent to skill + -ing. Doublet of scalding and schilling. The correct English form is shilling, spelled S-H-I-L-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A coin formerly used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries worth twelve old pence, or one twentieth of a pound sterling.
  2. 2
    The currency of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.
  3. 3
    A currency in the United States, differing in value between states.
  4. 4
    The Spanish real, formerly having the value of one eighth of a dollar.
  5. 5
    Alternative form of schilling, a coin formely used in Germany and German states, worth twelve pfennig.
  6. 6
    Alternative form of skilling, a coin formely used in Denmark, Norway or Sweden, worth twelve penning.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A great bargain also had been[…]the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire. In fact, that arm-chair had been an extravagance of Mrs. Bunting. She had wanted her husband to be comfortable after the day's work was done, and she had paid thirty-seven shillings for the chair.
  2. The smaller silver coins of Europe, such as the solidus or German shilling, the mark, and others never found their way east in any quantity on account of their small size and value.

Etymology

From Middle English schilling, shilling, from Old English sċilling, from Proto-Germanic *skillingaz, equivalent to skill + -ing. Doublet of scalding and schilling.

Synonyms

bobgeneralisegenhogAbraham's willingdeener

This word in other languages

chelín(Español)shilling(Français)Schilling(Deutsch)xelim(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsilling
  • shhilling
  • shililng
  • shiling
  • shillign
  • shillingg
  • shillinng
  • shillnig
  • shliling
  • sihlling
  • sshilling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shilling - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hsilling2shhilling1shililng2shiling1shillign2shillingg1shillinng1shillnig2
Edit distance from "shilling"

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 "shilling"?
"shilling" is spelled S-H-I-L-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɪlɪŋ/.
What does "shilling" mean?
As a noun, "shilling" means: A coin formerly used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries worth twelve old pence, or one twentieth of a pound sterling.
What words are commonly confused with "shilling"?
"shilling" is commonly confused with "smiling", "shining", "sibling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shilling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shilling" is /ˈʃɪlɪŋ/. 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 "shilling"?
From Middle English schilling, shilling, from Old English sċilling, from Proto-Germanic *skillingaz, equivalent to skill + -ing. Doublet of scalding and schilling. 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 "shilling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Shenzhen#23,392selector#23,390seconded#23,387scariest#23,384

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Schumer11 variantsrectify11 variantsTimbers11 variantstwinkle11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list