shipman

noun

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

"shipman" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shipman” is an uncommon English word, ranked #51,989 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#51,989
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Synonym of sailor.

Key facts for shipman
PropertyValue
Headwordshipman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#51,989
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shipman” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). shipman lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for shipman is 7 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #51,989 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for shipman in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schipman, from Old English scipmann (“shipman, mariner, sailor, rower; one who goes on trading voyages; pirate”). Cognate with Icelandic skipmaður, skipamaður (“shipman”). Equivalent to ship + -man. Compare English boatman. The correct English form is shipman, spelled S-H-I-P-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Synonym of sailor.
  2. 2
    The master of a ship; shiplord.
  3. 3
    A labourer on a ship.

Etymology

From Middle English schipman, from Old English scipmann (“shipman, mariner, sailor, rower; one who goes on trading voyages; pirate”). Cognate with Icelandic skipmaður, skipamaður (“shipman”). Equivalent to ship + -man. Compare English boatman.

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 "shipman"?
"shipman" is spelled S-H-I-P-M-A-N.
What does "shipman" mean?
As a noun, "shipman" means: Synonym of sailor.
What is the origin of the word "shipman"?
From Middle English schipman, from Old English scipmann (“shipman, mariner, sailor, rower; one who goes on trading voyages; pirate”). Cognate with Icelandic skipmaður, skipamaður (“shipman”). Equivalent to ship + -man. Compare English boatman. 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.

Using “shipman”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-I-P-M-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list