shoplifter

noun

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

The verdict

“shoplifter” is uncommon English (frequency #64,705 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,705
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who shoplifts, one who steals from shops.

Key facts for shoplifter
PropertyValue
Headwordshoplifter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#64,705
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shoplifter” 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). shoplifter lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

shoplifter is uncommon English at frequency #64,705 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A person who shoplifts, one who steals from shops.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for shoplifter, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From shop + lifter. The correct English form is shoplifter, spelled S-H-O-P-L-I-F-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who shoplifts, one who steals from shops.

Etymology

From shop + lifter.

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 "shoplifter"?
"shoplifter" is spelled S-H-O-P-L-I-F-T-E-R.
What does "shoplifter" mean?
As a noun, "shoplifter" means: A person who shoplifts, one who steals from shops.
What is the origin of the word "shoplifter"?
From shop + lifter. 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 “shoplifter”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-O-P-L-I-F-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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