shroud

/ʃraʊd/

//ʃraʊd// noun

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

"shroud" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shroud” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,394 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#23,394
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shroud vs shrug
67% similar
shroud vs shrub
67% similar
shroud vs sprout
67% similar

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

Key facts for shroud
PropertyValue
Headwordshroud
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʃraʊd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,394
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shroud” 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). shroud 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 shroud is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʃraʊd/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,394 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for shroud, with forms such as "hsroud", "shhroud", and "shorud". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "shrug", "shrub", "sprout", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English shroud, from Old English sċrūd, from Proto-Germanic *skrūdą. Cognate with Old Norse skrúð (“the shrouds of a ship”) ( > Danish, Norwegian skrud (“splendid attire”)). The correct English form is shroud, spelled S-H-R-O-U-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment.
  2. 2
    Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.
  3. 3
    That which covers or shelters like a shroud.
  4. 4
    A covered place used as a retreat or shelter, as a cave or den; also, a vault or crypt.
  5. 5
    One of a set of ropes or cables (rigging) attaching a mast to the sides of a vessel or to another anchor point, serving to support the mast sideways; such rigging collectively.
  6. 6
    One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water wheel, which form the sides of the buckets; a shroud plate.
  7. 7
    A streamlined protective covering used to protect the payload during a rocket-powered launch.

Etymology

From Middle English shroud, from Old English sċrūd, from Proto-Germanic *skrūdą. Cognate with Old Norse skrúð (“the shrouds of a ship”) ( > Danish, Norwegian skrud (“splendid attire”)).

Synonyms

sindon

This word in other languages

velo(Español)voile(Français)Grabtuch(Deutsch)mortalha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsroud,shhroud,shorud,shrodu,shroudd,shrroud,shruod,srhoud,sshroud

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shroud - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hsroud2shhroud1shorud2shrodu2shroudd1shrroud1shruod2srhoud2
Edit distance from "shroud"

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 "shroud"?
"shroud" is spelled S-H-R-O-U-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃraʊd/.
What does "shroud" mean?
As a noun, "shroud" means: That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment.
What words are commonly confused with "shroud"?
"shroud" is commonly confused with "shrug", "shrub", "sprout". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shroud"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shroud" is /ʃraʊd/. 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 "shroud"?
From Middle English shroud, from Old English sċrūd, from Proto-Germanic *skrūdą. Cognate with Old Norse skrúð (“the shrouds of a ship”) ( > Danish, Norwegian skrud (“splendid attire”)). 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 “shroud”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-R-O-U-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ʃraʊd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “shrug” - see the side-by-side comparison. shroud vs shrug
  • 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