shiver
shi·ver/ˈʃɪvɚ/verb, noun
shiver is spelled S-H-I-V-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (shi·ver). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, shiver means “To tremble or shake, especially when cold or frightened” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in shiver?
| Letters | 6: S-H-I-V-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: shi·ver |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,150th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is shiver?
Shiver appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce shiver?
- US /ˈʃɪvɚ/
- UK /ˈʃɪvə/
Shiver has 2 syllables, split shi·ver in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-shiver.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with shiver?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as shiver from its last stressed vowel (/ɪvəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: shrive.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of shiver
- shivers present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- shivering participle, present
- shivered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shiver mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To tremble or shake, especially when cold or frightened.
They stood outside for hours, shivering in the frosty air.
- 2
To cause to shake or tremble, as a sail, by steering close to the wind.
- 3
To break into splinters or fragments.
- 4
To be broken into splinters or fragments.
noun
- 1
The act of shivering.
A shiver went up my spine.
- 2
A bodily response to early hypothermia.
- 3
A fragment or splinter, especially of glass or stone.
- 4
A splinter of wood embedded in the flesh
- 5
UKobsoleteA thin slice; a shive.
- 6
A variety of blue slate.
- 7
A sheave or small wheel in a pulley.
- 8
A small wedge, as for fastening the bolt of a window shutter.
- 9
UKobsoleteA spindle.
- 10
A group of sharks.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shiver in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | frissonner , frisson |
| German | zittern, schauern , Zittern |
| Portuguese | tiritar, tremer , calafrio, tremedeira, tremura |
| Spanish | tiritar, temblar de frío, titiritar, titiritear, rilar, estremecerse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does shiver come from?
Origin uncertain, perhaps an alteration of chavel, or a frequentive of sheaf.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).