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” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,917. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,917
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shoot · shoot · English

shoot · rank #1,917 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,917
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH reduce

Nearest frequency peer: reduce (-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 “shoot”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “shoot” 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 September 3, 2026

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

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).shoot lands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around shoot (IPA /ʃuːt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,917 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 40 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to shoot a gun
  2. If you please / To shoot an arrow that self way.

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.

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 September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "shoot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sides#1,918solid#1,919sport#1,921steps#1,922

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

taste6 variantsissued6 variantsflat6 variantsharry6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "shoot". Here's where to go from here.

  • "shoot" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sot". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,917 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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