shoot

/ʃuːt/

//ʃuːt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“shoot” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,917 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,917
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shoot vs sot
60% similar
shoot vs show
60% similar
shoot vs soon
60% similar

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

Key facts for shoot
PropertyValue
Headwordshoot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʃuːt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,917
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shoot” 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). shoot 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 shoot is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʃuːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,917 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 40 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for shoot, with forms such as "hsoot", "shhoot", and "shoott". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sot", "show", "soon", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English scheten, schoten, from Old English scēotan, from Proto-West Germanic *skeutan, from Proto-Germanic *skeutaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kéwd-e-ti, from *(s)kewd- (“to shoot, throw”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian sjitte… The correct English form is shoot, spelled S-H-O-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  2. 2
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  3. 3
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  4. 4
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  5. 5
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  6. 6
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  7. 7
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  8. 8
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  9. 9
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  10. 10
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  11. 11
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  12. 12
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  13. 13
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  14. 14
    To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
  15. 15
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  16. 16
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  17. 17
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  18. 18
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  19. 19
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  20. 20
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  21. 21
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  22. 22
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  23. 23
    To move or act quickly or suddenly.
  24. 24
    To act or achieve.
  25. 25
    To act or achieve.
  26. 26
    To act or achieve.
  27. 27
    To measure the distance and direction to (a point).
  28. 28
    To inject a drug (such as heroin) intravenously.
  29. 29
    To develop, move forward.
  30. 30
    To develop, move forward.
  31. 31
    To develop, move forward.
  32. 32
    To develop, move forward.
  33. 33
    To develop, move forward.
  34. 34
    To protrude; to jut; to project; to extend.
  35. 35
    To plane straight; to fit by planing.
  36. 36
    To variegate as if by sprinkling or intermingling; to color in spots or patches. (See shot silk on Wikipedia)
  37. 37
    To shoot the moon.
  38. 38
    To carry out, or attempt to carry out (an approach to an airport runway).
  39. 39
    To carry out a seismic survey with geophones in an attempt to detect oil.
  40. 40
    To drink (a shot of an alcoholic beverage).

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English scheten, schoten, from Old English scēotan, from Proto-West Germanic *skeutan, from Proto-Germanic *skeutaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kéwd-e-ti, from *(s)kewd- (“to shoot, throw”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian sjitte, Low German scheten, Dutch schieten, German schießen, Danish skyde, Norwegian Bokmål skyte, Norwegian Nynorsk skyta, Swedish skjuta; and also, through Indo-European, with Russian кида́ть (kidátʹ), Albanian hedh (“to throw, toss”), Persian چست (čost, “quick, active”), Lithuanian skudrùs.

This word in other languages

disparar(Español)tirer(Français)schießen(Deutsch)atirar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsoot,shhoot,shoott,shoto,sohot,sshoot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shoot - 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.

hsoot2shhoot1shoott1shoto2sohot2sshoot1
Edit distance from "shoot"

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 "shoot"?
"shoot" is spelled S-H-O-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃuːt/.
What does "shoot" mean?
As a verb, "shoot" means: To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
What words are commonly confused with "shoot"?
"shoot" is commonly confused with "sot", "show", "soon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shoot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shoot" is /ʃuːt/. 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 "shoot"?
Inherited from Middle English scheten, schoten, from Old English scēotan, from Proto-West Germanic *skeutan, from Proto-Germanic *skeutaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kéwd-e-ti, from *(s)kewd- (“to shoot, throw”). Cognates Cognate with West Fris... 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 “shoot”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-O-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ʃuːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sot” - see the side-by-side comparison. shoot vs sot
  • 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