shortstop
/ʃɔɹt.stap/noun, verb
shortstop is spelled S-H-O-R-T-S-T-O-P: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shortstop means “The infield defensive player that stands between the second baseman and the third baseman” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shortstop is shortstops.
How many letters and syllables are in shortstop?
| Letters | 9: S-H-O-R-T-S-T-O-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is shortstop?
Shortstop appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce shortstop?
- US /ʃɔɹt.stap/
- US [ʃɔɹˀstap̥]
Shortstop has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Zazollo-shortstop.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with shortstop
Also written: short-stop (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of shortstop
- shortstops plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shortstopping participle, present
- shortstopped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shortstop mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The infield defensive player that stands between the second baseman and the third baseman.
The shortstop ranged deep into the hole to make the stop.
- 2
A nimble defender.
I'll play shortstop when we make our proposal.
- 3
A player who is short of money.
verb
- 1
Alternative form of short-stop (to play shortstop).
- 2
Alternative form of short-stop (to cause to stop short).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shortstop in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | arrêt-court |
| Portuguese | interbases |
| Spanish | campo corto, parador en corto, torpedero |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does shortstop come from?
From short + stop.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).