scapegrace

/ˈskeɪpɡɹeɪs/

//ˈskeɪpɡɹeɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“scapegrace” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scapegrace · scapegrace · English

scapegrace · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for scapegrace
PropertyValue
Headwordscapegrace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskeɪpɡɹeɪs/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scapegrace” in English

scapegracefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scapegrace is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈskeɪpɡɹeɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for scapegrace, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From scape (“(archaic) escape”) + grace (“grace of god”). The correct English form is scapegrace, spelled S-C-A-P-E-G-R-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He is now laden with that superabundant energy which makes a fool of a man, and a scapegrace of a boy, and he wants to work it off.
  2. An infantry officer in the trenches, Graves wrote of his rocky and scapegrace return to civilian life: "I still had the Army Habit of commandeering anything of uncertain ownership that I found lying about; also a difficulty in telling the truth--it was always easier for me now, when charged with any fault, to lie my way out in Army style."

Etymology

From scape (“(archaic) escape”) + grace (“grace of god”).

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scapegrace"?
"scapegrace" is spelled S-C-A-P-E-G-R-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskeɪpɡɹeɪs/.
What does "scapegrace" mean?
As a noun, "scapegrace" means: A wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel.
How do you pronounce "scapegrace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scapegrace" is /ˈskeɪpɡɹeɪs/. 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 "scapegrace"?
From scape (“(archaic) escape”) + grace (“grace of god”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list