scald
/skɔld/verb, noun
scald is spelled S-C-A-L-D: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, scald means “To burn with hot liquid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in scald?
| Letters | 5: S-C-A-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 77,666th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
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 scald?
Scald appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th 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 scald?
- US /skɔld/
- US /skɑld/
- UK /skɔːld/
Scald has one syllable (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-scald.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with scald
Sounds like: skald (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of scald
- scalds present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- scalding participle, present
- scalded participle, past
- more scald comparative
- most scald superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scald mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To burn with hot liquid.
to scald the hand
- 2
To heat almost to boiling.
Scald the milk until little bubbles form.
noun
- 1
A burn, or injury to the skin or flesh, by hot liquid or steam.
- 2
A paste, made by mixing flour with hot or boiling water (causing starches in it to gelatinize and hold more water) and allowing that mixture to sit and cool, which is added to bread dough to produce a softer bread that takes longer to stale.
- 3
Poor or bad land.
- 4
obsoleteScaliness; a scabby skin disease.
- 5
Alternative form of skald.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteAffected with the scab; scabby.
- 2
obsoletePaltry; worthless.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scald in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ébouillanter, échauder |
| German | verbrühen , brühen , Verbrühung , Brühstück |
| Portuguese | escaldar |
| Spanish | quemar, escaldar , quemadura, escaldadura |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.