shortwave

/ˈʃɔːtweɪv/

//ˈʃɔːtweɪv// noun

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

"shortwave" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shortwave” is uncommon English (frequency #52,627 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,627
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An electromagnetic wave with a relatively short wavelength; specifically, one with a wavelength generally between 10 and 100 metres, corresponding to a frequency between 3 and 30 megahertz.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shortwave · shortwave · English

shortwave · rank #52,627 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,627
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shied

Nearest frequency peer: shied (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “shortwave”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “shortwave” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for shortwave
PropertyValue
Headwordshortwave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɔːtweɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#52,627
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “shortwave” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).shortwavefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “shied” (#52,626), “shrubbery” (#52,628), “sheared” (#52,625). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shortwave” is #52,627. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

shortwave is uncommon English at frequency #52,627 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʃɔːtweɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for shortwave, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from short (adjective) + wave (noun). The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun. The adverb is also derived from the noun. The correct English form is shortwave, spelled S-H-O-R-T-W-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An electromagnetic wave with a relatively short wavelength; specifically, one with a wavelength generally between 10 and 100 metres, corresponding to a frequency between 3 and 30 megahertz.
  2. 2
    An electromagnetic wave with a relatively short wavelength; specifically, one with a wavelength generally between 10 and 100 metres, corresponding to a frequency between 3 and 30 megahertz.
  3. 3
    An electromagnetic wave with a relatively short wavelength; specifically, one with a wavelength generally between 10 and 100 metres, corresponding to a frequency between 3 and 30 megahertz.
  4. 4
    An electromagnetic wave with a relatively short wavelength; specifically, one with a wavelength generally between 10 and 100 metres, corresponding to a frequency between 3 and 30 megahertz.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Shortwaves are longer than microwaves.
  2. Shortwave fadeout data for the period 1955 through 1969 were analyzed and correlated with solar flare data for the same period. […] Some doubt is cast on the quality of the shortwave fadeout data during the early part of the period considered.

Etymology

The noun is derived from short (adjective) + wave (noun). The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun. The adverb is also derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

onde courte(Français)Kurzwelle(Deutsch)

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 "shortwave"?
"shortwave" is spelled S-H-O-R-T-W-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɔːtweɪv/.
What does "shortwave" mean?
As a noun, "shortwave" means: An electromagnetic wave with a relatively short wavelength; specifically, one with a wavelength generally between 10 and 100 metres, corresponding to a frequency between 3 and 30 megahertz.
How do you pronounce "shortwave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shortwave" is /ˈʃɔːtweɪv/. 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 "shortwave"?
The noun is derived from short (adjective) + wave (noun). The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun. The adverb is also derived from the noun. 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 "shortwave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shrubbery#52,628separable#52,624spillover#52,640Reticulum#52,597

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list