shoulder

/ˈʃəʊldə/

//ˈʃəʊldə// noun

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

"shoulder" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shoulder” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,025 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,025
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The part of an animal's body between the base of the neck and arm socket.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shoulder vs solder
75% similar
shoulder vs shudder
75% similar
shoulder vs shoulders
89% similar

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

Key facts for shoulder
PropertyValue
Headwordshoulder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃəʊldə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,025
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shoulder” 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). shoulder lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for shoulder is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃəʊldə/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,025 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for shoulder, with forms such as "hsoulder", "shhoulder", and "sholuder". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "solder", "shudder", "shoulders", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schuldre, sholder, shulder, schulder, from Old English sculdra, sculdor (“shoulder”), from Proto-West Germanic *skuldru (“shoulder”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skelduz (“shield”), see shield. Cognate with Ol… The correct English form is shoulder, spelled S-H-O-U-L-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of an animal's body between the base of the neck and arm socket.
  2. 2
    The part of an animal's body between the base of the neck and arm socket.
  3. 3
    The part of an animal's body between the base of the neck and arm socket.
  4. 4
    The part of an animal's body between the base of the neck and arm socket.
  5. 5
    Anything forming a shape resembling a human shoulder.
  6. 6
    A shelf between two levels.
  7. 7
    A shelf between two levels.
  8. 8
    A shelf between two levels.
  9. 9
    A shelf between two levels.
  10. 10
    A shelf between two levels.
  11. 11
    The flat portion of type that is below the bevelled portion that joins up with the face.
  12. 12
    The portion between the neck and the body.
  13. 13
    The portion between the neck and the body.
  14. 14
    The portion between the neck and the body.
  15. 15
    That which supports or sustains; support.
  16. 16
    The part of a key between the cuts and the bow.
  17. 17
    The part of a wave that has not yet broken.
  18. 18
    A season or a time of day when there is relatively little air traffic.

Etymology

From Middle English schuldre, sholder, shulder, schulder, from Old English sculdra, sculdor (“shoulder”), from Proto-West Germanic *skuldru (“shoulder”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skelduz (“shield”), see shield. Cognate with Old Frisian skuldere (“shoulder”) (West Frisian skouder (“shoulder”)), Middle Low German scholder (“shoulder”), Low German Schuller, Schulder (“shoulder”), Dutch schouder (“shoulder”), German Schulter (“shoulder”).

This word in other languages

paleta(Español)épaule(Français)Schulter(Deutsch)ombro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsoulder,shhoulder,sholuder,shoudler,shouldder,shoulderr,shouldre,shouledr,shoullder,shuolder,sohulder,sshoulder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shoulder - 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.

hsoulder2shhoulder1sholuder2shoudler2shouldder1shoulderr1shouldre2shouledr2
Edit distance from "shoulder"

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 "shoulder"?
"shoulder" is spelled S-H-O-U-L-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃəʊldə/.
What does "shoulder" mean?
As a noun, "shoulder" means: The part of an animal's body between the base of the neck and arm socket.
What words are commonly confused with "shoulder"?
"shoulder" is commonly confused with "solder", "shudder", "shoulders". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shoulder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shoulder" is /ˈʃəʊldə/. 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 "shoulder"?
From Middle English schuldre, sholder, shulder, schulder, from Old English sculdra, sculdor (“shoulder”), from Proto-West Germanic *skuldru (“shoulder”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skelduz (“shield”), see shield. Cogna... 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 “shoulder”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-O-U-L-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃəʊldə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “solder” - see the side-by-side comparison. shoulder vs solder
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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