shipshape
/ˈʃɪpʃeɪp/
"shipshape" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“shipshape” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Meticulously neat and tidy.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | shipshape |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈʃɪpʃeɪp/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “shipshape” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for shipshape is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃɪpʃeɪp/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Meticulously neat and tidy.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for shipshape, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From ship + shapen (“shaped; wrought with a definite shape”), later shortened to shape. The word is of nautical origin, based on the obligation of a sailor to keep his or her quarters arranged neatly and securely due to the limited space typically allotted … The correct English form is shipshape, spelled S-H-I-P-S-H-A-P-E.
Definition
- 1Meticulously neat and tidy.
Etymology
From ship + shapen (“shaped; wrought with a definite shape”), later shortened to shape. The word is of nautical origin, based on the obligation of a sailor to keep his or her quarters arranged neatly and securely due to the limited space typically allotted to service members aboard ship, and against turbulence at sea.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “shipshape”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-H-I-P-S-H-A-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈʃɪpʃeɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.