shoelace

/ˈʃuːˌleɪs/

//ˈʃuːˌleɪs// noun

"shoelace" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shoelace” is an uncommon English word, ranked #63,248 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#63,248
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A lace used for fastening a shoe.

Key facts for shoelace
PropertyValue
Headwordshoelace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃuːˌleɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#63,248
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shoelace” 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). shoelace lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for shoelace is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃuːˌleɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #63,248 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A lace used for fastening a shoe.".

shoelace has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: shoe + lace The correct English form is shoelace, spelled S-H-O-E-L-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lace used for fastening a shoe.

Etymology

shoe + lace

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "shoelace"?
"shoelace" is spelled S-H-O-E-L-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃuːˌleɪs/.
What does "shoelace" mean?
As a noun, "shoelace" means: A lace used for fastening a shoe.
How do you pronounce "shoelace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shoelace" is /ˈʃuːˌleɪs/. 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 "shoelace"?
shoe + lace 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.

Using “shoelace”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-O-E-L-A-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃuːˌleɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list