sakivsskimWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: saki is a noun, skim is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“saki” is a noun and “skim” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,028
“saki” frequency rank
#23,397
“skim” frequency rank
72425
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature saki skim
Definition Alternative spelling of saké (“rice wine”). To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set saki and skim apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
saki
4 ch
skim

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: saki is anoun and skimaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72425, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

saki is recorded at frequency rank #49,028, classified as anoun. skim is at rank #23,397, tagged as averb, pronounced /skɪm/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 72425, this pair ranks #43,099 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of saki vs skim

Shared letters: iks. Private to "saki": a. Private to "skim": m.

"saki" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "skim" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sakiaski · saik · sakki · skai · ssaki
  • skimksim · sikm · skimm · skkim · skmi · sskim

Frequency comparison

saki#49,028
skim#23,397

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "saki" and "skim" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "saki" is a noun and "skim" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "saki" or "skim"?
"skim" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,397 in our English list, against #49,028 for "saki". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering saki vs skim

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “saki”; for a verb, it's “skim”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “saki” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list