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How to spell shale

Shale is spelled S-H-A-L-E.

hear itshale/ʃeɪl/nounSounds

What it means: A type of sedimentary rock made from clay.

In a sentence: The geologist found a piece of shale by the river.

Same family: shale gas, shale oil, sedimentary, rock, clay. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Shale comes from an old English word related to "scale" or "shell," referring to how the rock splits into thin sheets. Its flaky, layered structure is the reason it got a name connected to peeling or scaling off.

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