shush

/ʃʊʃ/

//ʃʊʃ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“shush” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,562. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,562
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be quiet; to keep quiet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shush · shush · English

shush · rank #39,562 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,562
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH signor

Nearest frequency peer: signor (+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 “shush”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “shush” 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).

shush vs ssh
60% similar
shush vs Sus
40% similar
shush vs suh
60% similar

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

Key facts for shush
PropertyValue
Headwordshush
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʃʊʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#39,562
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shush”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).shushlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “signor” (#39,563), “shrew” (#39,560), “silencer” (#39,564). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shush” is #39,562. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around shush (IPA /ʃʊʃ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #39,562 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for shush, with forms such as "hsush", "shhush", and "shsuh". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ssh", "Sus", "suh", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Imitative. Compare shh and hush. The correct English form is shush, spelled S-H-U-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be quiet; to keep quiet.
  2. 2
    To ask someone to be quiet, especially by saying shh.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He wouldn't shush so I kicked him.
  2. Shush, my parents are back!

Etymology

Imitative. Compare shh and hush.

This word in other languages

chut(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsush
  • shhush
  • shsuh
  • shuhs
  • shushh
  • shussh
  • sshush
  • suhsh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shush - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hsush2shhush1shsuh2shuhs2shushh1shussh1sshush1suhsh2
Edit distance from "shush"

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 "shush"?
"shush" is spelled S-H-U-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃʊʃ/.
What does "shush" mean?
As a verb, "shush" means: To be quiet; to keep quiet.
What words are commonly confused with "shush"?
"shush" is commonly confused with "ssh", "Sus", "suh". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shush"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shush" is /ʃʊʃ/. 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 "shush"?
Imitative. Compare shh and hush. 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 "shush", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shrew#39,560Sheba#39,558soapy#39,572spiky#39,582

Similar misspelling depth

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

repose8 variantsrailed8 variantsultima8 variantsprowl8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list