shadow

/ˈʃædəʊ/

//ˈʃædəʊ// noun

The verdict

“shadow” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #16,398 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,398
frequency rank, Portuguese
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sombra; obscuridade

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

shadow vs show
67% similar
shadow vs suado
67% similar
shadow vs shade
67% similar

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

Key facts for shadow
PropertyValue
Headwordshadow
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃædəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,398
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “shadow” sits in Portuguese 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). shadow 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 Portuguese entry for shadow is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃædəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,398 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for shadow, with forms such as "hsadow", "sahdow", and "shaddow". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "show", "suado", "shade", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Portuguese form is shadow, spelled S-H-A-D-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    sombra; obscuridade
  2. 2
    vulto

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hsadow,sahdow,shaddow,shadoww,shadwo,shaodw,shdaow,shhadow,sshadow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shadow - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hsadow2sahdow2shaddow1shadoww1shadwo2shaodw2shdaow2shhadow1
Edit distance from "shadow"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shadow"?
"shadow" is spelled S-H-A-D-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃædəʊ/.
What does "shadow" mean?
As a noun, "shadow" means: sombra; obscuridade
What words are commonly confused with "shadow"?
"shadow" is commonly confused with "show", "suado", "shade". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "shadow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "shadow" is /ˈʃædəʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "shadow" come from?
"shadow" is a Portuguese 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 “shadow”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is S-H-A-D-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃædəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “show” - see the side-by-side comparison. shadow vs show
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese 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