Which to use
“scoff” and “scruff” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,151
- “scoff” frequency rank
- #47,322
- “scruff” frequency rank
- 85473
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scoff | scruff |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach. | Someone with an untidy appearance. |
Where the eye mixes scoff and scruff
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: scoff vs scruff
A purely visual mix-up. scoff (/skɒf/) and scruff (/skɹʌf/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85473, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scoff is recorded at frequency rank #38,151, classified as anoun, pronounced /skɒf/. scruff is at rank #47,322, tagged as anoun, pronounced /skɹʌf/.
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 85473, this pair ranks #10,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of scoff vs scruff
Shared letters: cfs. Private to "scoff": o. Private to "scruff": ru.
"scoff" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "scruff" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scoff" and "scruff" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "scoff" or "scruff" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "scoff" and "scruff" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "scoff" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scruff" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #10,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scoff" and "scruff" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scoff vs skiff". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #10,342 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.