shut

/ʃʌt/

//ʃʌt// verb

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

"shut" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shut” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,738 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,738
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To close, in various senses.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shut vs su
50% similar
shut vs sun
50% similar
shut vs sit
50% similar

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

Key facts for shut
PropertyValue
Headwordshut
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʃʌt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,738
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shut” 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). shut 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 shut is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʃʌt/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,738 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for shut, with forms such as "hsut", "shhut", and "shtu". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "su", "sun", "sit", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English schitten, schetten, from Old English scyttan (“to cause rapid movement, shoot a bolt, shut, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skutjaną, *skuttijaną (“to bar, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skuttą, *skuttjō (“bar, bolt, shed”), from Proto-Indo-E… The correct English form is shut, spelled S-H-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To close, in various senses.
  2. 2
    To close, in various senses.
  3. 3
    To close, in various senses.
  4. 4
    To close, in various senses.
  5. 5
    To close, in various senses.
  6. 6
    To close, in various senses.
  7. 7
    To catch or snag in the act of shutting something.
  8. 8
    To confine in an enclosed area; to enclose.
  9. 9
    To isolate, to close off from the world.
  10. 10
    To preclude, exclude.
  11. 11
    simple past and past participle of shut

Etymology

From Middle English schitten, schetten, from Old English scyttan (“to cause rapid movement, shoot a bolt, shut, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skutjaną, *skuttijaną (“to bar, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skuttą, *skuttjō (“bar, bolt, shed”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewd- (“to drive, fall upon, rush”). The Modern English word was originally a dialect form; the Old English word would have normally merged with shit. Cognate with Dutch schutten (“to shut in, lock up”), Low German schütten (“to shut, lock in”), German schützen (“to shut out, dam, protect, guard”).

This word in other languages

cerrar(Español)fermer(Français)schließen(Deutsch)fechar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsut,shhut,shtu,shutt,sshut,suht

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shut - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hsut2shhut1shtu2shutt1sshut1suht2
Edit distance from "shut"

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 "shut"?
"shut" is spelled S-H-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃʌt/.
What does "shut" mean?
As a verb, "shut" means: To close, in various senses.
What words are commonly confused with "shut"?
"shut" is commonly confused with "su", "sun", "sit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shut" is /ʃʌt/. 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 "shut"?
From Middle English schitten, schetten, from Old English scyttan (“to cause rapid movement, shoot a bolt, shut, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skutjaną, *skuttijaną (“to bar, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skuttą, *skuttjō (“bar, bolt, shed”), from Pr... 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 “shut”

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

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