shrew
/ʃɹuː/noun
shrew is spelled S-H-R-E-W: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shrew means “Any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the family Soricidae” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shrew is shrews.
How many letters and syllables are in shrew?
| Letters | 5: S-H-R-E-W |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is shrew?
Shrew appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th 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 shrew?
- /ʃɹuː/
- /ʃɹɪu̯/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-shrew.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of shrew
- shrews plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shrow
- shrewing participle, present
- shrewed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shrew mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the family Soricidae.
- 2
Certain other small mammals that resemble true shrews.
- 3
derogatoryAn ill-tempered, nagging woman: a scold.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo beshrew; to curse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shrew in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | musaraigne , furie, mégère |
| German | Spitzmaus , Megäre |
| Portuguese | musaranho , megera |
| Spanish | musaraña |
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 shrew come from?
From Middle English schrewe, from Old English sċrēawa (“shrew”), from Proto-Germanic *skrawwaz (“thin; meagre; frail”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut; shorten; skimp”). Cognates include Old High German scrawaz (“dwarf”), Norwegian skrugg (“dwarf”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).