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shuffle

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "shuffle", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "shuffle" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "shuffle" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

shuffle is aEnglishnoun. It means: The act of mixing cards or mah-jong tiles so as to randomize them. Pronounced /ˈʃʌfəl/. Often confused with shuttle and scuffle.

Key facts for shuffle
PropertyValue
Headwordshuffle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃʌfəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,272
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of shuffle in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for shuffle is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃʌfəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,272 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for shuffle, with forms such as "hsuffle", "shfufle", and "shhuffle". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "shuttle", "scuffle", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Originally the same word as scuffle, and properly a frequentative of shove. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is shuffle, spelled S-H-U-F-F-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of mixing cards or mah-jong tiles so as to randomize them.
  2. 2
    The act of reordering anything, such as music tracks in a media player.
  3. 3
    An instance of walking without lifting one's feet.
  4. 4
    A rhythm commonly used in blues music, consisting of a series of triplet notes with the middle note missing, so that it sounds like a long note followed by a short note, and suggests a walker dragging one foot.
  5. 5
    A dance move in which the foot is scuffed back and forth across the floor.
  6. 6
    A trick; an artifice; an evasion.

Etymology

Originally the same word as scuffle, and properly a frequentative of shove.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsuffle,shfufle,shhuffle,shuffel,shufflle,shufle,shuflfe,sshuffle,suhffle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for shuffle

Misspelling Variants of "shuffle"

hsuffle7shfufle7shhuffle8shuffel7shufflle8shufle6shuflfe7sshuffle8
Misspelling Variants of "shuffle"

Frequency rank: #15,272 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shuffle"?
"shuffle" is spelled S-H-U-F-F-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃʌfəl/.
What does "shuffle" mean?
As a noun, "shuffle" means: The act of mixing cards or mah-jong tiles so as to randomize them.
What words are commonly confused with "shuffle"?
"shuffle" is commonly confused with "shuttle", "scuffle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shuffle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shuffle" is /ˈʃʌfəl/. 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 "shuffle"?
Originally the same word as scuffle, and properly a frequentative of shove. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.