Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

shelby

/ˈʃɛlbi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.56 in modern English

Syllables: shel-by
IPA: /ˈʃɛlbi/

14

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A surname from Old English.

name

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

name

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

name

A number of places in the United States:

name

A number of places in the United States:

name

A number of places in the United States:

name

A number of places in the United States:

name

A number of places in the United States:

Example Sentences

"As they walked, Shelby reached down and gently took Alan's hand to hold. They warmly exchanged a smile with each other just before Shelby looked down and Alan blushed. Whenever she was with Alan he made her feel like an innocent girl again."

Etymology

From a medieval name, of obscure origin, yet likely an alteration of Middle English Selby, Salibi (“dweller of the willow place”), from salwe (“willow, sallow”) + -by (“settlement, farm”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: Selby

Derived Forms

Shelbyville

Phrases

Shelby County Shelby knot

Frequently Paired Words

Shelbina

Synonyms

Shelbi

Rhymes With

selby welby kelby melby

Questions

How do you pronounce shelby?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʃɛlbi/.
What does shelby mean?: A surname from Old English.
Where does shelby come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce shelby

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “shelby”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈʃɛlbi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “shelby”.
Repeat and practice — Say “shelby” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.