shipwreck

/ˈʃɪpɹɛk/

//ˈʃɪpɹɛk// noun

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

"shipwreck" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shipwreck” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,202. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,202
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A ship that has sunk or run aground so that it is no longer seaworthy; a ruined vessel or its remains.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shipwreck · shipwreck · English

shipwreck · rank #25,202 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #25,202
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shambles

Nearest frequency peer: shambles (-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 “shipwreck”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shipwreck” 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).

shipwreck vs shipwrecked
82% similar

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

Key facts for shipwreck
PropertyValue
Headwordshipwreck
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɪpɹɛk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,202
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shipwreck”

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).shipwrecklands 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 “shambles” (#25,201), “shirtless” (#25,203), “secretion” (#25,200). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shipwreck” is #25,202. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around shipwreck (IPA /ˈʃɪpɹɛk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,202 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for shipwreck, with forms such as "hsipwreck", "shhipwreck", and "shippwreck". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "shipwrecked", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck. The correct English form is shipwreck, spelled S-H-I-P-W-R-E-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A ship that has sunk or run aground so that it is no longer seaworthy; a ruined vessel or its remains.
  2. 2
    An event where a ship sinks or runs aground.
  3. 3
    Destruction; disaster; failure; ruin; irretrievable loss.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. heaven will drive shipwrecks ashore to make us all rich
  2. Blackfishing from the beach. I've done my research. Hundreds of shipwrecks line the Jersey coast, and many of them are close enough to reach with a long cast on a dead-low tide. These wrecks hold tautog, porgies, sea bass, flounder.

Etymology

From Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck.

This word in other languages

naufragio(Español)épave(Français)Schiffswrack(Deutsch)naufrágio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsipwreck
  • shhipwreck
  • shippwreck
  • shiprweck
  • shipwerck
  • shipwrcek
  • shipwrecck
  • shipwreckk
  • shipwrekc
  • shipwrreck
  • shipwwreck
  • shiwpreck
  • shpiwreck
  • sihpwreck
  • sshipwreck

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shipwreck - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hsipwreck2shhipwreck1shippwreck1shiprweck2shipwerck2shipwrcek2shipwrecck1shipwreckk1
Edit distance from "shipwreck"

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 "shipwreck"?
"shipwreck" is spelled S-H-I-P-W-R-E-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɪpɹɛk/.
What does "shipwreck" mean?
As a noun, "shipwreck" means: A ship that has sunk or run aground so that it is no longer seaworthy; a ruined vessel or its remains.
What words are commonly confused with "shipwreck"?
"shipwreck" is commonly confused with "shipwrecked". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shipwreck"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shipwreck" is /ˈʃɪpɹɛk/. 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 "shipwreck"?
From Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence... 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 "shipwreck", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shirtless#25,203secretion#25,200scapegoat#25,197Pyongyang#25,181

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

polynomial15 variantssuperhuman15 variantsTajikistan15 variantsunwarranted15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list