shimmy
/ˈʃɪ.mi/noun, verb
shimmy is spelled S-H-I-M-M-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shimmy means “A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shimmy is shimmies.
How many letters and syllables are in shimmy?
| Letters | 6: S-H-I-M-M-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th 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 shimmy?
Shimmy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th 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 shimmy?
- /ˈʃɪ.mi/
Shimmy has 2 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-shimmy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of shimmy
- shimmies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shimmying participle, present
- shimmied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shimmy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.
- 2
A dance that was popular in the 1920s.
- 3
An abnormal vibration, especially in the wheels of a vehicle.
- 4
rareA sleeveless chemise.
verb
- 1
To perform a shimmy (dance movement involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately).
- 2
To climb something (e.g. a pole) gradually (e.g. using alternately one's arms then one's legs).
He shimmied up the flagpole.
- 3
To vibrate abnormally, as a broken wheel.
- 4
rareTo shake the body as if dancing the shimmy.
- 5
To move across a narrow ledge, either by hanging from it or by strafing on it along the wall.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shimmy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 shimmy come from?
A back-formation from chemise (mistaken for a plural).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).