shut down

verb

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

"shut-down" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shut down” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To close, terminate, or end.

Key facts for shut down
PropertyValue
Headwordshut down
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shut down” sits in English frequency

shut down falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for shut down is 9 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

shut down has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is shut down, spelled S-H-U-T- -D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To close, terminate, or end.
  2. 2
    To turn off or stop.
  3. 3
    To emotionally withdraw into oneself as a defense mechanism; to block out external stressors.
  4. 4
    To suppress, block out, or reject (an idea or an aspect of one's personality or identity).
  5. 5
    To pass (another vehicle), especially quickly.

Synonyms

close downpower downpower offshut offturn offwind down

This word in other languages

apagar(Español)éteindre(Français)herunterfahren(Deutsch)apagar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shut down"?
"shut down" is spelled S-H-U-T- -D-O-W-N.
What does "shut down" mean?
As a verb, "shut down" means: To close, terminate, or end.
What language does "shut down" come from?
"shut down" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 down”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-H-U-T- -D-O-W-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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