shim

/ʃɪm/

//ʃɪm// noun

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

"shim" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shim” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,020. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,020
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wedge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shim · shim · English

shim · rank #40,020 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,020
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Shem

Nearest frequency peer: Shem (-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 “shim”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shim” 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).

shim vs SI
0% similar
shim vs SM
0% similar
shim vs six
50% similar

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

Key facts for shim
PropertyValue
Headwordshim
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʃɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#40,020
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shim”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).shimlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Shem” (#40,019), “Shona” (#40,021), “Shatner” (#40,018). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shim” is #40,020. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around shim (IPA /ʃɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,020 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for shim, with forms such as "hsim", "shhim", and "shimm". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "SI", "SM", "six", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown; from Kent. Originally a piece of iron attached to a plow; sense of “thin piece of wood” from 1723, sense of “thin piece of material used for alignment or support” from 1860. The correct English form is shim, spelled S-H-I-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wedge.
  2. 2
    A thin piece of material, sometimes tapered, used for alignment or support.
  3. 3
    A small library that transparently intercepts and modifies calls to an API, usually for compatibility purposes.
  4. 4
    A kind of shallowly cutting plow used in tillage to break the ground and clear it of weeds.
  5. 5
    A small metal device used to pick open a lock.
  6. 6
    A thin device inserted into a card reader by a criminal to facilitate fraud.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: shimstock (uncountable)
  2. The second adjustment [to a door that keeps swinging open] will require the screws to be loosened, and a shim or packing piece pushed behind the hinge to bring it into line.

Etymology

Unknown; from Kent. Originally a piece of iron attached to a plow; sense of “thin piece of wood” from 1723, sense of “thin piece of material used for alignment or support” from 1860.

This word in other languages

coin(Français)Keil(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsim
  • shhim
  • shimm
  • shmi
  • sihm
  • sshim

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsim2shhim1shimm1shmi2sihm2sshim1
Edit distance from "shim"

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 "shim"?
"shim" is spelled S-H-I-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃɪm/.
What does "shim" mean?
As a noun, "shim" means: A wedge.
What words are commonly confused with "shim"?
"shim" is commonly confused with "SI", "SM", "six". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shim"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shim" is /ʃɪm/. 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 "shim"?
Unknown; from Kent. Originally a piece of iron attached to a plow; sense of “thin piece of wood” from 1723, sense of “thin piece of material used for alignment or support” from 1860. 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 "shim", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Shem#40,019sian#40,022soya#40,026sacs#40,005

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

stig6 variantsamiga6 variantsbakes6 variantsbally6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list