Shotty vs. Shotgun — Which is Correct Spelling?
Edited by Sumaia Saeed — By Munazza Shafiq — Updated on April 23, 2024
Shotty is the incorrect spelling of shotgun, which refers to a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder.
Table of Contents
Which is correct: Shotty or Shotgun
How to spell Shotgun?
Shotty
Incorrect Spelling
Shotgun
Correct Spelling
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Key Differences
Remember that "gun" is a key part of the word, so include it fully in the spelling: shotgun.
Visualize the weapon and associate the full spelling "shotgun" with its seriousness compared to the informal sound of "shotty."
"Shotty" sounds casual and slangy, unlike the formal and complete word "shotgun."
How Do You Spell Shotgun Correctly?
Incorrect: His shotty malfunctioned during the competition.
Correct: His shotgun malfunctioned during the competition.
Incorrect: Can you clean the shotty while I look for the shells?
Correct: Can you clean the shotgun while I look for the shells?
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Incorrect: He loaded his shotty before heading out to the range.
Correct: He loaded his shotgun before heading out to the range.
Incorrect: They heard the sound of a shotty being fired in the distance.
Correct: They heard the sound of a shotgun being fired in the distance.
Incorrect: I prefer not to use a shotty for hunting; it's too imprecise.
Correct: I prefer not to use a shotgun for hunting; it's too imprecise.
Shotgun Definitions
A firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a wide range of spread.
He bought a shotgun for bird hunting because of its effective spread.
Used metaphorically to indicate assertive, direct action.
She took a shotgun approach in her marketing strategy, targeting all demographics.
Refers to the front passenger seat in a vehicle, traditionally called out by someone wanting to sit there.
He shouted shotgun! to claim the front seat on their road trip.
In finance, a type of buy-sell agreement between partners where the initiator sets a price for a transaction.
They invoked the shotgun clause of their partnership agreement during the dispute.
In genetics, a method for sequencing DNA by breaking the genome into random small segments.
The shotgun sequencing method has significantly advanced our understanding of complex genomes.
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, or sometimes a single solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns are most commonly smoothbore firearms, meaning that their gun barrels have no rifling on the inner wall, but rifled barrels for shooting slugs (slug barrels) are also available.
A smooth-bore gun for firing small shot at short range.
The front passenger seat in a vehicle
I took the shotgun seat
Aimed at a wide range of things; having no specific target
Many companies use the shotgun approach, aiming advertising at the widest possible audience
Denoting a long, narrow single-storey house whose rooms are arranged one behind another
His family lived in a shotgun shack in South Memphis
Shoot at or kill with a shotgun
He had been shotgunned by drug dealers
Consume (a canned drink) in one go by puncturing the can, putting one’s mouth over the resulting hole, and then opening the can by means of the ring pull to produce a rapid flow
A group of us shotgunned beers
A smoothbore gun that fires shot over short ranges. Also called scattergun.
(Football) An offensive formation, used especially for passing, in which the quarterback receives the snap several yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Of, relating to, or using a shotgun.
Obtained by or involving coercion
A shotgun compromise.
Covering a wide range in a haphazard or ineffective manner
Shotgun methods of testing the hypothesis that wasted time and money.
Having the rooms joined in a line from front to back
A shotgun house, a shotgun apartment.
To shoot at with a shotgun.
To drink (a can of beer or other beverage) quickly through a hole punched near the bottom of the can.
Used to claim the front passenger seat of a vehicle before a trip has started.
(firearms) A gun which fires loads typically consisting of small metal balls, called shot, from a cartridge.
Meat was cooked up within hours after the hunter killed the deer with his shotgun.
(slang) The front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver; so called because the position of the shotgun-armed guard on a horse-drawn stage-coach, wagon train, or gold transport was next to the driver on a forward-mounted bench seat. Can also be used in situations of claiming other resources such as bedrooms.
A one-story dwelling with no hallways or corridors, with the rooms arranged in a straight line.
Elvis Presley was born in a two-bedroom shotgun in Tupelo, Mississippi.
(American football) An offensive formation in which the quarterback receives the snap at a distance behind the center, often with a running back set to one or both sides of him.
Relating to shotguns, either in a present or past sense.
Shotgun cartridges
Shotgun seat
Relating to the threat of force or dubious means.
Shotgun wedding
Shotgun diplomacy
Relating to the use of numerous, diverse or indiscriminate means to achieve a particular result.
Shotgun marketing
Shotgun approach
To inhale from a pipe or other smoking device, followed shortly by an exhalation into someone else’s mouth.
To verbally lay claim to (something)
I got a day off because I shotgunned it.
To hit the ball directly back at the pitcher.
To rapidly drink a beverage from a can by making a hole in the bottom of the can, placing the hole above one's mouth, and opening the top.
To send out many (requests, answers to a question, etc), especially in the hope that one obtains a positive result (i.e. reveals useful information, is correct, etc), in the manner of a shotgun firing many balls of shot such that one may hit a target.
To employ the technique of shotgun debugging.
A light, smooth-bored gun, often double-barreled, especially designed for firing small shot at short range, and killing small game.
Firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
Shotgun Meaning in a Sentence
They kept a shotgun at home for personal defense.
He cleaned his shotgun carefully after each hunting trip.
She learned how to load a shotgun during her safety course.
The officer carried a shotgun as part of his tactical gear.
They discussed the legality of owning a shotgun in their city.
The sound of a shotgun echoed through the forest.
He taught his son how to aim a shotgun safely.
During the biathlon, she switched from skiing to shooting with a shotgun.
The old farmhouse had an antique shotgun mounted on the wall.
Shotgun microphones are highly directional and used in filmmaking.
Shotgun houses are named for their straight, narrow design.
At the carnival, he won a prize at the shotgun shooting booth.
He used a shotgun to start the track races at the school field day.
In movies, the hero often wields a shotgun to fight zombies.
In the car, the kids always fought over who got to sit in shotgun.
She preferred using a shotgun in video games for close-range combat.
Their new strategy was like a shotgun blast, broad and somewhat indiscriminate.
The debate team used a shotgun approach, covering a wide range of topics quickly.
He explained the benefits of shotgun sequencing in modern genetic research.
The company's shotgun clause prevented hostile takeovers effectively.
Shotgun Idioms & Phrases
Ride shotgun
To sit in the front passenger seat of a vehicle.
He always rides shotgun when we go on road trips because he likes the view.
Shotgun approach
Using a method that covers a wide area or many points, without focusing on precision.
Their marketing used a shotgun approach, sending the same message to all customer segments.
Shotgun clause
A provision in a business agreement allowing one partner to buy out the other.
The business partners included a shotgun clause in their contract to ensure fairness in buyouts.
Shotgun house
A narrow, rectangular house where rooms are arranged in a straight line, similar to the spread of shotgun pellets.
Many old shotgun houses are still found in New Orleans.
Shotgun start
In golf, a method where all groups of players start simultaneously from different holes.
The tournament used a shotgun start to speed up play.
Shotgun spread
Referring to a wide and somewhat indiscriminate distribution, similar to the scatter of shotgun pellets.
The project was managed with a shotgun spread strategy, involving many departments.
Shotgun wedding
A wedding that is arranged quickly due to an unplanned pregnancy.
They had a shotgun wedding after finding out they were expecting a baby.
Shotgun microphone
A highly directional microphone that picks up sound primarily from the front.
The film crew used a shotgun microphone to capture clear dialogue in noisy environments.
Shotgun blast
Something that affects a wide area or many people all at once.
The news of the merger came like a shotgun blast, surprising everyone in the company.
Shotgun session
A quick, impromptu meeting or decision-making session.
They held a shotgun session to resolve the unexpected issue.
Common Curiosities
How many syllables are in shotgun?
Shotgun has two syllables.
What is a stressed syllable in shotgun?
The first syllable is stressed: SHOT-gun.
How do we divide shotgun into syllables?
Shot-gun.
Why is it called shotgun?
Shotguns are named for their ability to shoot shells that spread pellets or "shot," covering a wide area.
What is the root word of shotgun?
The root words are "shot" (small pellets) and "gun" (a firearm).
What part of speech is shotgun?
Shotgun is primarily a noun but can also be used as a verb.
How is shotgun used in a sentence?
A shotgun is typically used for hunting or sport shooting due to its spread effect.
What is the pronunciation of shotgun?
Shotgun is pronounced as /ˈʃɑtˌɡʌn/.
What is the first form of shotgun?
The first form is shotgun, as in the noun and the base form of the verb.
What is another term for shotgun?
Another term for shotgun could be scattergun.
What is the verb form of shotgun?
Shotgun can also be used as a verb, meaning to shoot with a shotgun.
Is shotgun an abstract noun?
No, shotgun is a concrete noun.
What is the plural form of shotgun?
The plural form is shotguns.
Is shotgun a collective noun?
No, shotgun is not a collective noun.
Which determiner is used with shotgun?
Determiners like "a," "the," or "my" can be used with shotgun.
What is the third form of shotgun?
The third form, as a verb, is shotgunned.
Is shotgun an adverb?
No, shotgun is not used as an adverb.
Is shotgun a negative or positive word?
Shotgun is neutral; it can have positive or negative connotations depending on context.
Is shotgun a vowel or consonant?
The word begins with a consonant.
What is the second form of shotgun?
The second form, as a verb, is shotgunned.
Is the shotgun term a metaphor?
Yes, terms like "shotgun approach" are used metaphorically.
Is the word shotgun a gerund?
No, shotgun is not used as a gerund.
Which article is used with shotgun?
The indefinite article "a" is generally used unless specifying a particular shotgun, in which case "the" is used.
What is the opposite of shotgun?
There isn't a direct opposite, but a rifle could be considered opposite in terms of precision and range.
Is shotgun a countable noun?
Yes, shotgun is a countable noun.
Which conjunction is used with shotgun?
Conjunctions like "and" (a rifle and a shotgun) or "but" (he wanted a rifle but bought a shotgun) are used.
What is the singular form of shotgun?
The singular form is shotgun.
Is shotgun a noun or adjective?
Shotgun is a noun and can also function as a modifier in compound nouns (e.g., shotgun approach).
Is the word shotgun imperative?
Shotgun can be used in the imperative form when instructing to use a shotgun.
Is the word “shotgun” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
Shotgun can be used as a direct object (e.g., He loaded the shotgun).
Which vowel is used before shotgun?
Typically, the article "a" is used before shotgun unless the context dictates otherwise.
Which preposition is used with shotgun?
Prepositions like "with" (armed with a shotgun) or "by" (threatened by a shotgun) are commonly used.
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Written by
Munazza Shafiq
Edited by
Sumaia Saeed
