askance

/əˈskæns/

//əˈskæns// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"askance" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“askance” is uncommon English (frequency #83,982 among 35,202 “A” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,982
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - With disapproval, skepticism, or suspicion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-askance · askance · English

askance · rank #83,982 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #83,982
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 35,202
  • PHOTO-FINISH Asmara

Nearest frequency peer: Asmara (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “askance”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “askance” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for askance
PropertyValue
Headwordaskance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈskæns/
Letters7
Frequency rank#83,982
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “askance” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). askance lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

askance is uncommon English at frequency #83,982 among 35,202 “A” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /əˈskæns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for askance in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown. Possibly from Middle English askances (“as if”), or from Old French a escone (“hidden”) or Italian a scancio (“obliquely”). Compare asquint, Middle English askoyn (“at a slant, askance”), Dutch schuin, schuins (“sideways”), schuiven (“to shove”), s… The correct English form is askance, spelled A-S-K-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    With disapproval, skepticism, or suspicion.
  2. 2
    Sideways; obliquely.

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly from Middle English askances (“as if”), or from Old French a escone (“hidden”) or Italian a scancio (“obliquely”). Compare asquint, Middle English askoyn (“at a slant, askance”), Dutch schuin, schuins (“sideways”), schuiven (“to shove”), schuinte (“slope”).

Synonyms

skepticallysuspiciouslyobliquelysidewaysasquint

This word in other languages

de través(Español)de travers(Français)skeptisch(Deutsch)torto(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "askance"?
"askance" is spelled A-S-K-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈskæns/.
What does "askance" mean?
As an adverb, "askance" means: With disapproval, skepticism, or suspicion.
How do you pronounce "askance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "askance" is /əˈskæns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "askance"?
Unknown. Possibly from Middle English askances (“as if”), or from Old French a escone (“hidden”) or Italian a scancio (“obliquely”). Compare asquint, Middle English askoyn (“at a slant, askance”), Dutch schuin, schuins (“sideways”), schuiven (“to ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "askance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

arbutus#83,975Bacolod#83,993Alucard#83,962Bellona#84,011
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list