shut-eye

/ˈʃʌtaɪ/

//ˈʃʌtaɪ// noun

"shut-eye" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shut-eye” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sleep.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shut-eye · shut-eye · English

shut-eye · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for shut-eye
PropertyValue
Headwordshut-eye
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃʌtaɪ/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “shut-eye” in English

shut-eyefalls 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.

Rare enough to double-check

shut-eye is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʃʌtaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Sleep.".

Zero misspellings are on record for shut-eye in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From shut + eye. The correct English form is shut-eye, spelled S-H-U-T---E-Y-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sleep.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With the night so quiet and peaceful, though, there was nothing he could do except return to camp and try to get a little shut-eye himself.
  2. To make matters worse, he sorely needs some shut-eye. “Not to get into it, but I’m not a great sleeper,” he says, reaching out of frame for his coffee.

Etymology

From shut + eye.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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-eye"?
"shut-eye" is spelled S-H-U-T---E-Y-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃʌtaɪ/.
What does "shut-eye" mean?
As a noun, "shut-eye" means: Sleep.
How do you pronounce "shut-eye"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shut-eye" is /ˈʃʌtaɪ/. 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-eye"?
From shut + eye. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list