scamp
/ˈskæmp/noun, verb
scamp is spelled S-C-A-M-P: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,114th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scamp means “A rascal, swindler, or rogue; a ne'er-do-well” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scamp is scamps.
How many letters and syllables are in scamp?
| Letters | 5: S-C-A-M-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 65,114th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is scamp?
Scamp appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,114th 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 scamp?
- /ˈskæmp/
- /ˈskeə̯mp/
- /ˈskɛə̯mp/
Scamp 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-scamp.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of scamp
- scamps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- scamping participle, present
- scamped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scamp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A rascal, swindler, or rogue; a ne'er-do-well.
- 2
A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.
My nephew is a little scamp who likes to leave lighted firecrackers under the lawnchairs of his dozing elders.
- 3
A preliminary design sketch.
verb
- 1
datedTo skimp; to do something in a skimpy or slipshod fashion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scamp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Gauner, Schuft, Halunke, Schwindler, Bösewicht, Schurke |
| French | chenapan, galopin, garnement, morpion, moustre, sacripant |
| Portuguese | pestinha |
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 scamp come from?
From Middle Dutch schampen (“slip away”), from Old French escamper (“to run away, to make one's escape”), from Vulgar Latin *excampāre. Compare escape.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).