shipping

/ˈʃɪpɪŋ/

//ˈʃɪpɪŋ// noun

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

"shipping" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shipping” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,915 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,915
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The transportation of goods.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

shipping vs sipping
88% similar
shipping vs sniping
75% similar
shipping vs shopping
88% similar

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

Key facts for shipping
PropertyValue
Headwordshipping
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɪpɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,915
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shipping” 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). shipping 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 shipping is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃɪpɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,915 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for shipping, with forms such as "hsipping", "shhipping", and "shiping". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "sipping", "sniping", "shopping", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schipping, schyppynge, from schippen, schipen (“to take ship, navigate”), from Old English scipian (“to take ship; put in order, equip, man a ship”), equivalent to ship + -ing. The correct English form is shipping, spelled S-H-I-P-P-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The transportation of goods.
  2. 2
    The body of ships belonging to one nation, port or industry; ships collectively.
  3. 3
    Passage or transport on a ship.
  4. 4
    The cost of sending an item or package using postal or carrier services.
  5. 5
    Navigation.

Etymology

From Middle English schipping, schyppynge, from schippen, schipen (“to take ship, navigate”), from Old English scipian (“to take ship; put in order, equip, man a ship”), equivalent to ship + -ing.

This word in other languages

envío(Español)expédition(Français)Schifffahrt(Deutsch)remessa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsipping,shhipping,shiping,shipipng,shippign,shippingg,shippinng,shippnig,shpiping,sihpping,sshipping

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsipping2shhipping1shiping1shipipng2shippign2shippingg1shippinng1shippnig2
Edit distance from "shipping"

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 "shipping"?
"shipping" is spelled S-H-I-P-P-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɪpɪŋ/.
What does "shipping" mean?
As a noun, "shipping" means: The transportation of goods.
What words are commonly confused with "shipping"?
"shipping" is commonly confused with "sipping", "sniping", "shopping". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shipping"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shipping" is /ˈʃɪpɪŋ/. 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 "shipping"?
From Middle English schipping, schyppynge, from schippen, schipen (“to take ship, navigate”), from Old English scipian (“to take ship; put in order, equip, man a ship”), equivalent to ship + -ing. 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 “shipping”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-I-P-P-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃɪpɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sipping” - see the side-by-side comparison. shipping vs sipping
  • 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