The word "shuffling" is spelled with two "f's" instead of "ff" due to the rule of "f" changing to "ff" after a single vowel sound. In IPA phonetic transcription, "shuffling" is written as /ˈʃʌflɪŋ/. The "sh" sound is represented by the symbol /ʃ/, followed by the short "u" sound /ʌ/ and the consonant blend "fl" /fl/. The final "ing" is represented by the symbol /ɪŋ/, which indicates the nasal sound at the end of the word.
Shuffling is a verb that describes the act of moving something or someone in a disordered or random manner, often repeatedly and without a clear pattern. It commonly refers to the action of moving one's feet or shoes in a dragging or sliding motion on a surface, making a soft scraping or dragging sound. This can occur when a person walks with their feet barely leaving the ground and dragging them forward or when moving on a slippery surface. Shuffling may also be used to describe the movement of playing cards or other objects by mixing or rearranging them quickly and randomly, typically to create randomness or disorganize their original order.
In a figurative sense, shuffling can also represent the act of rearranging or reorganizing objects or ideas in a clumsy, haphazard, or unskilled manner. For example, one might shuffle papers on a desk to find a specific document without any order or methodology. Additionally, the term can be used to describe shifting one's position or moving around aimlessly or indecisively, as in shuffling around the room or shuffling one's thoughts.
Overall, shuffling implies a lack of coherence, purpose, or organization in the movement, arrangement, or order of objects, people, or thoughts. Whether it pertains to physical movement, card games, or mental activities, shuffling suggests a random, disorderly, or clumsy action.
• Act of one who shuffles; trick; artifice; an irregular gait.
• Evasive; moving with irregular gait.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "shuffling" is derived from the Middle English word "shovelen", which has its roots in Old English "scoflan" and Old High German "scuflon". Originally, the term meant to move something with a scraping or shoving motion, usually involving the feet. Over time, the meaning expanded to include the action of moving or rearranging cards in a random manner, which is how it is commonly used today in the context of card games.