scanty

[…]

/[…]/ adj

The verdict

“scanty” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - dürftig, knapp, karg

Corpus desk

Index DE-scanty · scanty · German

scanty · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for scanty
PropertyValue
Headwordscanty
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[…]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „scanty“ im Deutschen

scantyliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scanty is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed […]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "dürftig, knapp, karg".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for scanty, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is scanty, spelled S-C-A-N-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    dürftig, knapp, karg

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how scanty appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He hiked through the scanty heathland.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scanty"?
"scanty" is spelled S-C-A-N-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "scanty" mean?
As an adjective, "scanty" means: dürftig, knapp, karg
How do you pronounce "scanty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scanty" is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "scanty" come from?
"scanty" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list