scam
/ˈskæm/noun, verb
scam is spelled S-C-A-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scam means “A fraudulent or dishonest deal. A swindle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scam is scams.
How many letters and syllables are in scam?
| Letters | 4: S-C-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 8.7 times per million words; the 7,797th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is scam?
Scam appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th 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 scam?
- UK /ˈskæm/
- UK [ˈskæm]
- British /ˈskam/
Scam has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scam.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with scam?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as scam from its last stressed vowel (/æm/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: masc.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of scam
- scams plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- scamming participle, present
- scammed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scam mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A fraudulent or dishonest deal. A swindle.
That marketing scheme looks like a scam to me.
- 2
Something that is promoted using scams.
That new diet burger is a scam.
verb
- 1
To defraud or embezzle.
They tried to scam her out of her savings.
- 2
slangTo seek out a partner for casual sex; to hit on.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scam in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | entourloupe, arnaque, escroquerie, trucage, tour de passe-passe, tripotage |
| German | Betrug, Beschiss, Gaunerei, Schwindel, Trickdiebstahl, Trickbetrug |
| Portuguese | golpe, calote, embrulhada, fraude, falcatrua, logro |
| Spanish | estafa, timo, chanchullo, petardo, pufo , estafar |
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.
Where does scam come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).