showy

/ˈʃəʊ.i/

//ˈʃəʊ.i// adj

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

"showy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“showy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,687. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,687
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Calling attention; flashy; standing out to the eye.

Corpus desk

Index EN-showy · showy · English

showy · rank #37,687 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,687
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sherpa

Nearest frequency peer: Sherpa (-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 “showy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “showy” 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).

showy vs shy
60% similar
showy vs soy
60% similar
showy vs sow
60% similar

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

Key facts for showy
PropertyValue
Headwordshowy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈʃəʊ.i/
Letters5
Frequency rank#37,687
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “showy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).showylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Sherpa” (#37,686), “sideboard” (#37,688), “shaver” (#37,685). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “showy” is #37,687. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around showy (IPA /ˈʃəʊ.i/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #37,687 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for showy, with forms such as "hsowy", "shhowy", and "showwy". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "shy", "soy", "sow", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From show (noun) + -y. The correct English form is showy, spelled S-H-O-W-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Calling attention; flashy; standing out to the eye.
  2. 2
    Making a striking or aesthetically pleasing display.
  3. 3
    Inclined to showing (by conveying an impression so that events are described in the narrative), instead of telling (by explicitly stating facts).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. showy flowers
  2. I think my problem with it is that it's a) a little "telly" not "showy" in comparison to the rest […]

Etymology

From show (noun) + -y.

Synonyms

gaudy

This word in other languages

ostentoso(Español)tape-à-l’œil(Français)protzig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsowy
  • shhowy
  • showwy
  • showyy
  • shoyw
  • shwoy
  • sohwy
  • sshowy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsowy2shhowy1showwy1showyy1shoyw2shwoy2sohwy2sshowy1
Edit distance from "showy"

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 "showy"?
"showy" is spelled S-H-O-W-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃəʊ.i/.
What does "showy" mean?
As an adjective, "showy" means: Calling attention; flashy; standing out to the eye.
What words are commonly confused with "showy"?
"showy" is commonly confused with "shy", "soy", "sow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "showy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "showy" is /ˈʃəʊ.i/. 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 "showy"?
From show (noun) + -y. 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 "showy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scoot#37,675spate#37,701sarin#37,669Stasi#37,706

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

secede8 variantsSonora8 variantsRainey8 variantsprobs8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list