scandalous

/ˈskændələs/

//ˈskændələs// adj

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

"scandalous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scandalous” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,218. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,218
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a thing: causing or having the nature of a scandal; regarded as so immoral or wrong as to be extremely disgraceful; despicable, shameful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scandalous · scandalous · English

scandalous · rank #20,218 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,218
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH salted

Nearest frequency peer: salted (-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 “scandalous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “scandalous” 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
Key facts for scandalous
PropertyValue
Headwordscandalous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskændələs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#20,218
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scandalous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).scandalouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “salted” (#20,217), “Scot” (#20,219), “rupture” (#20,216). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scandalous” is #20,218. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around scandalous (IPA /ˈskændələs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,218 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for scandalous, with forms such as "csandalous", "sacndalous", and "scadnalous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English scandalouse (“disgraceful, shameful”), borrowed from Old French scandaleux (“scandalous”) (modern French scandaleux), from Medieval Latin scandalōsus, from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“scandal”) + Latin -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘fu… The correct English form is scandalous, spelled S-C-A-N-D-A-L-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a thing: causing or having the nature of a scandal; regarded as so immoral or wrong as to be extremely disgraceful; despicable, shameful.
  2. 2
    Of a person: delighted by scandal.
  3. 3
    Of speech or writing: defamatory, malicious.
  4. 4
    Exceeding reasonable limits; outrageous.
  5. 5
    Of a person: guilty of extremely disgraceful conduct or some misconduct; infamous; also, unfit for their office or position due to misconduct, etc.
  6. 6
    Of information, a statement, etc.: not pertinent to a matter; irrelevant, and bringing the court into disrepute.
  7. 7
    Causing offence or trouble.
  8. 8
    Of a disease or symptom: putrid, rotting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [S]omthing ſauors / Of Tyrannie, and vvill ignoble make you, / Yea, ſcandalous to the VVorld.
  2. Maſters commands come vvith a povver reſiſtleſs / To ſuch as ovve them abſolute ſubjection; / And for a life vvho vvill not change his purpoſe? / (So mutable are all the vvays of men) / Yet this be ſure, in nothing to comply / Scandalous or forbidden in our Lavv.

Etymology

From Late Middle English scandalouse (“disgraceful, shameful”), borrowed from Old French scandaleux (“scandalous”) (modern French scandaleux), from Medieval Latin scandalōsus, from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“scandal”) + Latin -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; prone to’ forming adjectives). Scandalum is derived from Ancient Greek σκᾰ́νδᾰλον (skắndălon, “offence, scandal; snare, trap”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Pre-Greek or Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump”) (referring to a device for climbing or jumping on, such as might be used by someone setting a trap). By surface analysis, scandal + -ous (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, denoting presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance), or a relation to the nouns).

This word in other languages

escandaloso(Español)scandaleux(Français)skandalös(Deutsch)escandaloso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csandalous
  • sacndalous
  • scadnalous
  • scanadlous
  • scandallous
  • scandalosu
  • scandalouss
  • scandaluos
  • scandaolus
  • scanddalous
  • scandlaous
  • scanndalous
  • sccandalous
  • scnadalous
  • sscandalous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scandalous - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

csandalous2sacndalous2scadnalous2scanadlous2scandallous1scandalosu2scandalouss1scandaluos2
Edit distance from "scandalous"

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 "scandalous"?
"scandalous" is spelled S-C-A-N-D-A-L-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskændələs/.
What does "scandalous" mean?
As an adjective, "scandalous" means: Of a thing: causing or having the nature of a scandal; regarded as so immoral or wrong as to be extremely disgraceful; despicable, shameful.
What are common misspellings of "scandalous"?
Common misspellings include "csandalous", "sacndalous", "scadnalous", "scanadlous", "scandallous". The correct spelling is "scandalous".
How do you pronounce "scandalous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scandalous" is /ˈskændələs/. 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 "scandalous"?
From Late Middle English scandalouse (“disgraceful, shameful”), borrowed from Old French scandaleux (“scandalous”) (modern French scandaleux), from Medieval Latin scandalōsus, from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“scandal”) + Latin -ōsus (suffix m... 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 "scandalous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

specialize#20,230terminator#20,247topography#20,250unintended#20,253

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

minimalist15 variantsYellowstone15 variantsafternoons15 variantsastonished15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list