shoestring

/ˈʃuːstɹɪŋ/

//ˈʃuːstɹɪŋ// noun

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

"shoestring" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shoestring” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,486. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,486
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The string or lace used to secure a shoe to the foot; a shoelace.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shoestring · shoestring · English

shoestring · rank #44,486 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,486
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shimmy

Nearest frequency peer: shimmy (-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 “shoestring”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shoestring” 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
Key facts for shoestring
PropertyValue
Headwordshoestring
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃuːstɹɪŋ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#44,486
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shoestring”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).shoestringlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “shimmy” (#44,485), “shucks” (#44,487), “Shams” (#44,483). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shoestring” is #44,486. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around shoestring (IPA /ˈʃuːstɹɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,486 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for shoestring, with forms such as "hsoestring", "sheostring", and "shhoestring". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from shoe + string. The adjective is derived from the noun, while the verb is derived from terms such as shoestring catch and shoestring tackle. The correct English form is shoestring, spelled S-H-O-E-S-T-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The string or lace used to secure a shoe to the foot; a shoelace.
  2. 2
    An object that is long and thin, like a shoestring (sense 1).
  3. 3
    An object that is long and thin, like a shoestring (sense 1).
  4. 4
    Chiefly in on a shoestring: very little money; a tight budget.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Your shoestring is untied.
  2. I am ſure ſhe is not half ſo beautiful, and vvill even venture to ſay, that ſhe is not vvorthy to tie her majeſty's ſhoe-ſtrings.

Etymology

The noun is derived from shoe + string. The adjective is derived from the noun, while the verb is derived from terms such as shoestring catch and shoestring tackle.

This word in other languages

julienne(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsoestring
  • sheostring
  • shhoestring
  • shoesrting
  • shoesstring
  • shoestirng
  • shoestrign
  • shoestringg
  • shoestrinng
  • shoestrnig
  • shoestrring
  • shoesttring
  • shoetsring
  • shosetring
  • sohestring
  • sshoestring

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shoestring - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hsoestring2sheostring2shhoestring1shoesrting2shoesstring1shoestirng2shoestrign2shoestringg1
Edit distance from "shoestring"

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 "shoestring"?
"shoestring" is spelled S-H-O-E-S-T-R-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃuːstɹɪŋ/.
What does "shoestring" mean?
As a noun, "shoestring" means: The string or lace used to secure a shoe to the foot; a shoelace.
What are common misspellings of "shoestring"?
Common misspellings include "hsoestring", "sheostring", "shhoestring", "shoesrting", "shoesstring". The correct spelling is "shoestring".
How do you pronounce "shoestring"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shoestring" is /ˈʃuːstɹɪŋ/. 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 "shoestring"?
The noun is derived from shoe + string. The adjective is derived from the noun, while the verb is derived from terms such as shoestring catch and shoestring tackle. 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 "shoestring", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shamefully#44,482Shackleton#44,480Stravinsky#44,510recharging#44,440

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

religiosity16 variantsthereabouts16 variantsultralight16 variantsunobtrusive16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list