shut-off

noun

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

The verdict

“shut-off” 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) - Alternative spelling of shutoff, often used attributively.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shut-off · shut-off · English

shut-off · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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-off
PropertyValue
Headwordshut-off
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

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

shut-offfalls 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-off is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Alternative spelling of shutoff, often used attributively.".

shut-off has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from shut off. The correct English form is shut-off, spelled S-H-U-T---O-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of shutoff, often used attributively.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The tank is provided with external feed sumps with shut-off valves to enable the sieve contained in them to be removed and cleaned without the necessity for emptying the tank.

Etymology

Deverbal from shut off.

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-off"?
"shut-off" is spelled S-H-U-T---O-F-F.
What does "shut-off" mean?
As a noun, "shut-off" means: Alternative spelling of shutoff, often used attributively.
What is the origin of the word "shut-off"?
Deverbal from shut off. 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