shortcoming

/ˈʃɔːtˌkʌmɪŋ/

//ˈʃɔːtˌkʌmɪŋ// noun

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

"shortcoming" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shortcoming” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,046. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,046
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
18
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A deficiency or falling short; failure to attain a goal or ideal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shortcoming · shortcoming · English

shortcoming · rank #49,046 · 18 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #49,046
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH showmanship

Nearest frequency peer: showmanship (+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 “shortcoming”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shortcoming” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shortcoming vs shortcomings
92% similar

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

Key facts for shortcoming
PropertyValue
Headwordshortcoming
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɔːtˌkʌmɪŋ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#49,046
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shortcoming”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).shortcominglands 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 “showmanship” (#49,047), “SIDS” (#49,048), “Shashi” (#49,043). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shortcoming” is #49,046. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around shortcoming (IPA /ˈʃɔːtˌkʌmɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #49,046 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A deficiency or falling short; failure to attain a goal or ideal.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for shortcoming, with forms such as "hsortcoming", "shhortcoming", and "shorctoming". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "shortcomings", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From short + coming. The correct English form is shortcoming, spelled S-H-O-R-T-C-O-M-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deficiency or falling short; failure to attain a goal or ideal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They were behind twice, first to James Morrison's 11th-minute strike and then Kenny Miller's effort early in the second half. England responded with goals of their own from Theo Walcott and Daniel Welbeck and, on the balance of play, probably deserved the victory. On the flip-side, they could conceivably have lost because of their various shortcomings in…
  2. In truth, I suspect it will take more than the first term of a Labour government to address the shortcomings of the railway system in the North.

Etymology

From short + coming.

Synonyms

failing

This word in other languages

defecto(Español)défaut(Français)Schwäche(Deutsch)deficiência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsortcoming
  • shhortcoming
  • shorctoming
  • shorrtcoming
  • shortccoming
  • shortcmoing
  • shortcoimng
  • shortcomign
  • shortcomingg
  • shortcominng
  • shortcomming
  • shortcomnig
  • shortocming
  • shorttcoming
  • shotrcoming
  • shrotcoming
  • sohrtcoming
  • sshortcoming

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shortcoming - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hsortcoming2shhortcoming1shorctoming2shorrtcoming1shortccoming1shortcmoing2shortcoimng2shortcomign2
Edit distance from "shortcoming"

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 "shortcoming"?
"shortcoming" is spelled S-H-O-R-T-C-O-M-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɔːtˌkʌmɪŋ/.
What does "shortcoming" mean?
As a noun, "shortcoming" means: A deficiency or falling short; failure to attain a goal or ideal.
What words are commonly confused with "shortcoming"?
"shortcoming" is commonly confused with "shortcomings". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shortcoming"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shortcoming" is /ˈʃɔːtˌkʌmɪŋ/. 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 "shortcoming"?
From short + coming. 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 "shortcoming", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

showmanship#49,047Sandringham#49,030remodelling#49,009systematics#49,084

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

semicircular18 variantssectarianism18 variantsstereoscopic18 variantsprintmaking18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list