Meaning & use
sheqel
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Meanings
nouncountable
The main unit of money in Israel, made up of 100 agorot.
Grammar: Countable: one sheqel, two sheqalim (or sheqels in English text).
Patterns
- pay in sheqalim
- cost ten sheqalim
- the sheqel rose against the dollar
The meal cost about eighty sheqalim.
Prices in Israel are usually written with the sheqel sign.
The sheqel gained value against the dollar last month.
nouncountable
A coin or banknote of this currency.
Grammar: Countable; the plural sheqalim is the Hebrew form, while English writers often use shekels.
Patterns
- a ten-sheqel coin
- hand someone a sheqel
She paid with a fifty-sheqel note.
He dropped a few sheqalim into the charity box.
Word forms
| plural | sheqalim |
|---|---|
| plural (English) | sheqels |
Common combinations
- the new sheqel
- The new sheqel replaced the old currency in 1985.
- in sheqalim
- The bill must be paid in sheqalim.
- the sheqel exchange rate
- Check the sheqel exchange rate before you travel.
- a fifty-sheqel note
- He handed the cashier a fifty-sheqel note.
- the sheqel weakens
- When the sheqel weakens, imported goods cost more.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shekel
- The usual English spelling; sheqel follows the official Israeli transliteration and looks more technical or official.
Word family
- agora noun
- A small unit of Israeli money; 100 agorot make one sheqel.
Commonly confused: sheqel or shekel?
sheqel vs shekel
This is the same currency; shekel is the standard English spelling, while sheqel is the official Israeli form used in formal documents.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural form that Israeli official usage prefers?
Choose one answer.
Sheqalim is the Hebrew-style plural used in official Israeli usage; sheqels is the common English plural, and the other options use the singular where a plural or a different form is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sheqel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.