shock

/ʃɒk/

//ʃɒk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“shock” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,260. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,260
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sudden, heavy impact.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shock · shock · English

shock · rank #3,260 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,260
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 54,294
  • PHOTO-FINISH server

Nearest frequency peer: server (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “shock”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “shock” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shock vs show
60% similar
shock vs shot
60% similar
shock vs shop
60% similar

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

Key facts for shock
PropertyValue
Headwordshock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʃɒk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,260
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shock” 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). shock lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around shock (IPA /ʃɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,260 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for shock, with forms such as "hsock", "shcok", and "shhock". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "show", "shot", "shop", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps re… The correct English form is shock, spelled S-H-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sudden, heavy impact.
  2. 2
    A sudden, heavy impact.
  3. 3
    A sudden, heavy impact.
  4. 4
    A sudden, heavy impact.
  5. 5
    A sudden, heavy impact.
  6. 6
    A sudden, heavy impact.
  7. 7
    A sudden, heavy impact.
  8. 8
    A shock absorber (typically in the suspension of a vehicle).
  9. 9
    A discontinuity arising in the solution of a partial differential equation.
  10. 10
    A chemical added to a swimming pool to moderate the chlorine levels.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The train hit the buffers with a great shock.
  2. A tremendous shock arises when a secret is discovered.

Etymology

From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake. Cognate with Middle Low German schocken (“collide with, deliver a blow to, move back and forth”), Old High German scoc (“a jolt, swing”), Middle High German schocken (“to swing”) (German schaukeln), Old Norse skykkr (“vibration, surging motion”), Icelandic skykkjun (“tremulously”), Middle English schiggen (“to shake”). Doublet of shog.

This word in other languages

choque(Español)choc(Français)Schock(Deutsch)choque(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsock
  • shcok
  • shhock
  • shocck
  • shockk
  • shokc
  • sohck
  • sshock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shock - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hsock2shcok2shhock1shocck1shockk1shokc2sohck2sshock1
Edit distance from "shock"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shock"?
"shock" is spelled S-H-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃɒk/.
What does "shock" mean?
As a noun, "shock" means: A sudden, heavy impact.
What words are commonly confused with "shock"?
"shock" is commonly confused with "show", "shot", "shop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shock" is /ʃɒk/. 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 "shock"?
From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. ... 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 "shock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

thick#3,265threw#3,266moral#3,246men's#3,245

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

babies8 variantsEgypt8 variantsflash8 variantshorses8 variants
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