Which to use
“skew” is a verb and “skewer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,725
- “skew” frequency rank
- #43,374
- “skewer” frequency rank
- 72099
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | skew | skewer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To form or shape in an oblique way; to cause to take an oblique position. | A long pin, normally made of metal or wood, used to secure food during cooking. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set skew and skewer apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: skew is /skjuː/ while skewer is /ˈskjuː.ə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “skew” sits inside “skewer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72099, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
skew is recorded at frequency rank #28,725, classified as averb, pronounced /skjuː/. skewer is at rank #43,374, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈskjuː.ə/.
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 72099, this pair ranks #44,229 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of skew vs skewer
Shared letters: eksw. Private to "skew": -. Private to "skewer": r.
"skew" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "skewer" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "skew" and "skewer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "skew" or "skewer"?
Remembering skew vs skewer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “skew”; for a noun, it's “skewer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “skew” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable