# shrill

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ʃɹɪl/ · frequency rank #33,847

## Definitions
1. High-pitched and piercing.
2. Having a shrill voice.
3. Sharp or keen to the senses.
4. Fierce, loud, strident.

## Etymology
From Late Middle English schrille, shirle, shrille (“of a sound: high-pitched, piercing; producing such a sound”), possibly from the earlier shil, schille (“loud, resounding; high-pitched”), from Old English scill (“sonorous sounding”), of Germanic origin and probably ultimately imitative.
The r in the word was introduced by analogy to Middle English skrīke, skrīken, scrēmen, possibly to avoid confusion with non-Anglian forms of schelle (modern English shell) where Old English scill (“sonorous sounding”) and scill (“shell”) existed.
The word is cognate with Icelandic skella (“crash, bang, slam”), Low German schrell (“sharp in taste or tone”).

## Easily confused with
- **sill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-sill)
- **still** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-still)
- **skill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-skill)
- **spill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-spill)
- **shrimp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-shrimp)
- **shrine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-shrine)
- **shrink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-shrink)
- **stroll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shrill-vs-stroll)
- **Shri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shri-vs-shrill)
- **shall** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shall-vs-shrill)
- **shell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shell-vs-shrill)
- **shill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shill-vs-shrill)
- **serial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/serial-vs-shrill)
- **she'll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/she-ll-vs-shrill)
- **scroll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scroll-vs-shrill)
- **sheila** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sheila-vs-shrill)
- **shriek** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shriek-vs-shrill)

## Common misspellings (8)
`hsrill`, `shhrill`, `shirll`, `shril`, `shrlil`, `shrrill`, `srhill`, `sshrill`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shrill