shimmy

/ˈʃɪ.mi/

//ˈʃɪ.mi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“shimmy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,485. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,485
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shimmy · shimmy · English

shimmy · rank #44,485 · 8 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,485
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shoestring

Nearest frequency peer: shoestring (+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 “shimmy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shimmy” 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).

shimmy vs shiny
67% similar
shimmy vs slimy
67% similar
shimmy vs Simms
50% similar

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

Key facts for shimmy
PropertyValue
Headwordshimmy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɪ.mi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#44,485
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shimmy”

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).shimmylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shoestring” (#44,486), “Shams” (#44,483), “shucks” (#44,487). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shimmy” is #44,485. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around shimmy (IPA /ˈʃɪ.mi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,485 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for shimmy, with forms such as "hsimmy", "shhimmy", and "shimmyy". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "shiny", "slimy", "Simms", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: A back-formation from chemise (mistaken for a plural). The correct English form is shimmy, spelled S-H-I-M-M-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.
  2. 2
    A dance that was popular in the 1920s.
  3. 3
    An abnormal vibration, especially in the wheels of a vehicle.
  4. 4
    A sleeveless chemise.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The tango, the Texas Tommy, Walking the Dog, the one step, the fox trot, the shimmy, and all their out-growths, had their origin in the palaces of lust on the Barbary Coast of San Francisco.

Etymology

A back-formation from chemise (mistaken for a plural).

This word in other languages

shimmy(Français)Flattern(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsimmy
  • shhimmy
  • shimmyy
  • shimy
  • shimym
  • shmimy
  • sihmmy
  • sshimmy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsimmy2shhimmy1shimmyy1shimy1shimym2shmimy2sihmmy2sshimmy1
Edit distance from "shimmy"

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 "shimmy"?
"shimmy" is spelled S-H-I-M-M-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɪ.mi/.
What does "shimmy" mean?
As a noun, "shimmy" means: A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.
What words are commonly confused with "shimmy"?
"shimmy" is commonly confused with "shiny", "slimy", "Simms". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shimmy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shimmy" is /ˈʃɪ.mi/. 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 "shimmy"?
A back-formation from chemise (mistaken for a plural). 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 "shimmy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shucks#44,487sleaze#44,490Sendai#44,479samara#44,470

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Shams8 variantssnark8 variantsstews8 variantsRicks8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list