shiva

/ˈʃɪvə/

//ˈʃɪvə// noun

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

"shiva" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shiva” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,952. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,952
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A weeklong period of formal mourning for a close relative.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shiva · shiva · English

shiva · rank #18,952 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,952
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shipbuilding

Nearest frequency peer: shipbuilding (-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 “shiva”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shiva” 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).

shiva vs sia
60% similar
shiva vs Sina
40% similar
shiva vs Sita
40% similar

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

Key facts for shiva
PropertyValue
Headwordshiva
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɪvə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,952
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shiva”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shipbuilding” (#18,951), “shrugged” (#18,953), “serie” (#18,950). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shiva” is #18,952. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around shiva (IPA /ˈʃɪvə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,952 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A weeklong period of formal mourning for a close relative.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for shiva, with forms such as "hsiva", "shhiva", and "shiav". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sia", "Sina", "Sita", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hebrew שִׁבְעָה (shiv'á, “seven”), referring to the number of days that shiva spans. The correct English form is shiva, spelled S-H-I-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A weeklong period of formal mourning for a close relative.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Did you know that some parents sit shiva […] for 30 days if their child is discovered to be gay?
  2. Seymour: Audrey, quick! We've got to do an emergency [flower] arrangement. […] Mr. Mushnik: The Shivas are our most important funereal account. A big, enormous family, they're dropping off like flies!

Etymology

From Hebrew שִׁבְעָה (shiv'á, “seven”), referring to the number of days that shiva spans.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsiva
  • shhiva
  • shiav
  • shivva
  • shvia
  • sihva
  • sshiva

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsiva2shhiva1shiav2shivva1shvia2sihva2sshiva1
Edit distance from "shiva"

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 "shiva"?
"shiva" is spelled S-H-I-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɪvə/.
What does "shiva" mean?
As a noun, "shiva" means: A weeklong period of formal mourning for a close relative.
What words are commonly confused with "shiva"?
"shiva" is commonly confused with "sia", "Sina", "Sita". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shiva"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shiva" is /ˈʃɪvə/. 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 "shiva"?
From Hebrew שִׁבְעָה (shiv'á, “seven”), referring to the number of days that shiva spans. 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 "shiva", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

serie#18,950smoky#18,957spade#18,960plush#18,920

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Reilly7 variantsplaid7 variantsvowel7 variantsopioid7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list