shui

\ˈʃu.i\

/\ˈʃu.i\/ typographic variant

The verdict

“shui” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #34,752 in French word frequency and used as a typographic variant.

#34,752
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Orthographe par contrainte typographique par système h de ŝui.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shui vs si
50% similar
shui vs su
50% similar
shui vs sur
50% similar

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

Key facts for shui
PropertyValue
Headwordshui
LanguageFrench
Part of speechTypographic variant
IPA\ˈʃu.i\
Letters4
Frequency rank#34,752
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shui” sits in French 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). shui 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 French entry for shui is 4 letters long, classified as a typographic variant, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈʃu.i\. Corpus data places it at rank #34,752 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Orthographe par contrainte typographique par système h de ŝui.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for shui, with forms such as "hsui", "shhui", and "shiu". 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, "si", "su", "sur", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is shui, spelled S-H-U-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Orthographe par contrainte typographique par système h de ŝui.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsui,shhui,shiu,sshui,suhi

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shui - 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.

hsui2shhui1shiu2sshui1suhi2
Edit distance from "shui"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shui"?
"shui" is spelled S-H-U-I. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈʃu.i\.
What does "shui" mean?
As a typographic variant, "shui" means: Orthographe par contrainte typographique par système h de ŝui.
What words are commonly confused with "shui"?
"shui" is commonly confused with "si", "su", "sur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shui"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shui" is \ˈʃu.i\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "shui" come from?
"shui" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “shui”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-H-U-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈʃu.i\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “si” - see the side-by-side comparison. shui vs si
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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