scam

/ˈskæm/

//ˈskæm// noun

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

"scam" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scam” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,844. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,844
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fraudulent deal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scam · scam · English

scam · rank #7,844 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,844
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH robust

Nearest frequency peer: robust (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “scam”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “scam” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

scam vs SM
0% similar
scam vs sea
50% similar
scam vs sum
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for scam
PropertyValue
Headwordscam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskæm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,844
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scam”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “robust” (#7,843), “SCI” (#7,845), “risky” (#7,842). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scam” is #7,844. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around scam (IPA /ˈskæm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,844 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for scam, with forms such as "csam", "sacm", and "scamm". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "SM", "sea", "sum", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: US American carnival slang of uncertain origin. Possibly from scamp (“swindler, cheater”) or Irish cam (“crooked”). Also possibly from Danish skam; if so, it would be a doublet of shame and sham. First use appears c. 1963 in the periodical Time. The word be… The correct English form is scam, spelled S-C-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fraudulent deal.
  2. 2
    Something that is promoted using scams.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how scam appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. That marketing scheme looks like a scam to me.
  2. That new diet burger is a scam.

Etymology

US American carnival slang of uncertain origin. Possibly from scamp (“swindler, cheater”) or Irish cam (“crooked”). Also possibly from Danish skam; if so, it would be a doublet of shame and sham. First use appears c. 1963 in the periodical Time. The word became common use among the US drug culture when in early 1980, after Operation ABSCAM, an FBI sting operation directed at public officials, became public.

This word in other languages

estafa(Español)entourloupe(Français)Betrug(Deutsch)golpe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csam
  • sacm
  • scamm
  • sccam
  • scma
  • sscam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scam - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

csam2sacm2scamm1sccam1scma2sscam1
Edit distance from "scam"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scam"?
"scam" is spelled S-C-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskæm/.
What does "scam" mean?
As a noun, "scam" means: A fraudulent deal.
What words are commonly confused with "scam"?
"scam" is commonly confused with "SM", "sea", "sum". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "scam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scam" is /ˈskæm/. 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 "scam"?
US American carnival slang of uncertain origin. Possibly from scamp (“swindler, cheater”) or Irish cam (“crooked”). Also possibly from Danish skam; if so, it would be a doublet of shame and sham. First use appears c. 1963 in the periodical Time. T... 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 "scam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

prep#7,833swap#7,856pops#7,830trio#7,864

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

sided6 variantsoppose6 variantshobby6 variantsChad6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list