# shun vs skunk

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shun
*verb · IPA /ʃʌn/ · frequency rank #21,359*
To avoid, especially persistently; ostracize.

### skunk
*noun · IPA /skʌŋk/ · frequency rank #25,578*
Any of various small mammals, of most genera of the family Mephitidae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black with a white coat and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shun-vs-skunk