Shuttle-like silver nanoparticles were synthesized in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution through reduction of silver nitrate with citric acid (CA). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy were used to characterize the obtained products. Results show that the silver nanoparticles are shuttle-like when the mass ratio of SDS to CA is fixed at 50:50. The formation of shuttle-like structure is mainly caused by the different growth rates of crystal faces because of SDS adsorption. SDS might play the adsorbent and dispersant roles rather than the template role in the formation process of shuttle-like nanoparticles