shoehorn
/ˈʃuːˌhɔɹn/noun, verb
shoehorn is spelled S-H-O-E-H-O-R-N: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shoehorn means “A smooth tool that assists in putting the foot into a shoe, by sliding the heel in after the toe is in place” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shoehorn is shoehorns.
How many letters and syllables are in shoehorn?
| Letters | 8: S-H-O-E-H-O-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 79,518th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is shoehorn?
Shoehorn appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th 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 shoehorn?
- UK /ˈʃuːˌhɔːn/
- US /ˈʃuːˌhɔɹn/
Shoehorn has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-shoehorn.ogg, En-au-shoehorn.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with shoehorn
Also written: shoe-horn (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of shoehorn
- shoehorns plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shoe horn
- shoe-horn
- shoehorning participle, present
- shoehorned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shoehorn mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A smooth tool that assists in putting the foot into a shoe, by sliding the heel in after the toe is in place.
- 2
derogatoryAnything by which a transaction is facilitated; a medium.
- 3
obsoleteAnything which draws on or allures; an inducement.
verb
- 1
To use a shoehorn.
- 2
To force (something) into (a tight space); to squeeze (something) into (a schedule, etc); to exert great effort to insert or include (something); to include (something) despite potent reasons not to.
I shoehorned his dozen burgeoning bags into the backseat of my tiny car, and off we went.
- 3
To force some current event into alignment with some (usually unconnected) agenda, especially when it is fallacious.
People claiming to be psychic may shoehorn an event into fulfillment of some vague past prediction.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shoehorn in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chausse-pied , forcer, enfoncer |
| German | Schuhanzieher, Schuhlöffel , hineinzwängen, reinzwängen, reinquetschen , ein Schuhlöffel benutzen |
| Portuguese | calçadeira , enfiar, meter, forçar , calçar com calçadeira |
| Spanish | calzador , meter con calzador, introducir a la fuerza, insertar por fuerza , calzar |
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 shoehorn come from?
From shoe + horn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).