bow and scrape
/ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/
"bow-and-scrape" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bow and scrape” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back (thus scraping the floor), left hand pressed across the abdomen, right arm held aside.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bow and scrape |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/ |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bow and scrape” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for bow and scrape is 14 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
bow and scrape doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is bow and scrape, spelled B-O-W- -A-N-D- -S-C-R-A-P-E.
Definition
- 1To make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back (thus scraping the floor), left hand pressed across the abdomen, right arm held aside.
- 2To behave in a servile, obsequious, or excessively polite manner.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “bow and scrape”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-O-W- -A-N-D- -S-C-R-A-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.