skirmish

[ˈskɜːmɪʃ]

/[ˈskɜːmɪʃ]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - leichtes Gefecht zwischen kleineren (versprengten) Einheiten, das üblicherweise während einer Schlacht beziehungsweise eines Krieges geführt wird; Scharmützel, Geplänkel, Plänkelei

Corpus desk

Index DE-skirmish · skirmish · German

skirmish · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 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 skirmish
PropertyValue
Headwordskirmish
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈskɜːmɪʃ]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „skirmish“ im Deutschen

skirmishsitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

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

Rare enough to double-check

skirmish is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈskɜːmɪʃ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for skirmish, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is skirmish, spelled S-K-I-R-M-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    leichtes Gefecht zwischen kleineren (versprengten) Einheiten, das üblicherweise während einer Schlacht beziehungsweise eines Krieges geführt wird; Scharmützel, Geplänkel, Plänkelei
  2. 2
    lebhafte, vorläufig geführte verbale Auseinandersetzung; Gerangel, Wortgefecht, Wortwechsel
  3. 3
    harmlose Debatte oder Streit zwischen opponierenden Parteien; Plänkelei, Querele, (Wort)geplänkel

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. (im engeren Sinne) "In fact, at this point of time, Eritrea’s relation with the Sudan deteriorated and diplomatic relations were cut off in 1994, while border skirmishes took place with Yemen and Djibouti in the following years."
  2. (im weiteren Sinne) "French forces provide logistical support to the Chad army fighting Sudan-backed rebels, and in December 2006 they were involved in bombing and ground skirmishes in the north of the Central African Republic, to chase out other rebels, also supported by Sudan. But beyond these frontier skirmishes, the oil stakes are real."

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 "skirmish"?
"skirmish" is spelled S-K-I-R-M-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈskɜːmɪʃ].
What does "skirmish" mean?
As a noun, "skirmish" means: leichtes Gefecht zwischen kleineren (versprengten) Einheiten, das üblicherweise während einer Schlacht beziehungsweise eines Krieges geführt wird; Scharmützel, Geplänkel, Plänkelei
How do you pronounce "skirmish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skirmish" is [ˈskɜːmɪʃ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "skirmish" come from?
"skirmish" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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