Shinto

/ˈʃɪn.təʊ/

//ˈʃɪn.təʊ// name

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

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

The verdict

“Shinto” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,175. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,175
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Formerly the state religion of Japan, a type of animism involving the worship of ancestors and nature spirits.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shinto · Shinto · English

Shinto · rank #46,175 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,175
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Shauna

Nearest frequency peer: Shauna (-2 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 “Shinto”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Shinto” 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).

Shinto vs shit
50% similar
Shinto vs shirt
50% similar
Shinto vs shiny
50% similar

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

Key facts for Shinto
PropertyValue
HeadwordShinto
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈʃɪn.təʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#46,175
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Shinto”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Shintolands 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 “Shauna” (#46,173), “shuddering” (#46,177), “sharps” (#46,172). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Shinto” is #46,175. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Shinto (IPA /ˈʃɪn.təʊ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #46,175 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Formerly the state religion of Japan, a type of animism involving the worship of ancestors and nature spirits.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Shinto, with forms such as "hsinto", "shhinto", and "shinnto". 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, "shit", "shirt", "shiny", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowing from Japanese 神道 (Shintō), from Middle Chinese 神道 (MC zyin dawX, “ways of the gods”), ultimately from Old Chinese 神道 (OC *hlin l'uːʔ, “ways [doings] of Heaven [in matters of fortune or fate]”). The correct English form is Shinto, spelled S-H-I-N-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Formerly the state religion of Japan, a type of animism involving the worship of ancestors and nature spirits.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The number of Shinto deities is very great. The Yengishiki enumerates 3,132 officially recognized shrines, and although the same Gods are reckoned more than once, as being worshipped in different places, still their name is legion.

Etymology

Borrowing from Japanese 神道 (Shintō), from Middle Chinese 神道 (MC zyin dawX, “ways of the gods”), ultimately from Old Chinese 神道 (OC *hlin l'uːʔ, “ways [doings] of Heaven [in matters of fortune or fate]”).

This word in other languages

sintoísmo(Español)shintoïsme(Français)Schintoismus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsinto
  • shhinto
  • shinnto
  • shinot
  • shintto
  • shitno
  • shnito
  • sihnto
  • sshinto

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Shinto - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hsinto2shhinto1shinnto1shinot2shintto1shitno2shnito2sihnto2
Edit distance from "Shinto"

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 "Shinto"?
"Shinto" is spelled S-H-I-N-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɪn.təʊ/.
What does "Shinto" mean?
As a proper noun, "Shinto" means: Formerly the state religion of Japan, a type of animism involving the worship of ancestors and nature spirits.
What words are commonly confused with "Shinto"?
"Shinto" is commonly confused with "shit", "shirt", "shiny". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Shinto"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Shinto" is /ˈʃɪn.təʊ/. 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 "Shinto"?
Borrowing from Japanese 神道 (Shintō), from Middle Chinese 神道 (MC zyin dawX, “ways of the gods”), ultimately from Old Chinese 神道 (OC *hlin l'uːʔ, “ways [doings] of Heaven [in matters of fortune or fate]”). 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 "Shinto", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Shauna#46,173sharps#46,172silken#46,178Sasaki#46,160

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Sakurai9 variantsreverie9 variantssweety9 variantstapioca9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list