cheapskate
/ˈt͡ʃipˌskeɪt/noun
cheapskate is spelled C-H-E-A-P-S-K-A-T-E: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,884th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cheapskate means “Someone who stingily avoids spending money” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cheapskate is cheapskates.
How many letters and syllables are in cheapskate?
| Letters | 10: C-H-E-A-P-S-K-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 69,884th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cheapskate?
Cheapskate appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,884th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cheapskate?
- US /ˈt͡ʃipˌskeɪt/
Cheapskate has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cheapskate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with cheapskate
Also written: cheap-skate (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of cheapskate
- cheapskates plural
- cheap skate
- cheap-skate
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cheapskate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who stingily avoids spending money.
He is such a cheapskate, he found that jumper in a dustbin.
- 2
Someone who does not give freely.
My mum is such a cheapskate that she didn't lend me money to go shopping.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does cheapskate come from?
From cheap + skite (“contemptible person”). Compare blatherskite.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).