scarecrow
scare·crow/ˈskɛɚˌkɹoʊ/noun, verb
scarecrow is spelled S-C-A-R-E-C-R-O-W: 9 letters and 2 syllables (scare·crow). It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scarecrow means “An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in old clothes, fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scarecrow is scarecrows.
How many letters and syllables are in scarecrow?
| Letters | 9: S-C-A-R-E-C-R-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: scare·crow |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st 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 scarecrow?
Scarecrow appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st 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 scarecrow?
- UK /ˈskɛəkɹəʊ/
- US /ˈskɛɚˌkɹoʊ/
Scarecrow has 2 syllables, split scare·crow in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scarecrow.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of scarecrow
- scarecrows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- scarecrowing participle, present
- scarecrowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scarecrow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in old clothes, fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there.
- 2
derogatoryA person or animal regarded as resembling a scarecrow (sense 1) in some way; especially, a tall, thin, awkward person; or a person wearing ragged and tattered clothes.
- 3
datedSynonym of crow scarer (“a farmhand employed to scare birds from the fields”).
- 4
Anything that appears terrifying but presents no danger; a paper tiger.
- 5
Military equipment or tactics used to scare and deter rather than cause actual damage.
- 6
UKobsoleteThe black tern (Chlidonias niger).
- 7
UKobsoleteThe hooded crow (Corvus cornix).
verb
- 1
To cause (a person, their body, etc.) to look awkward and stiff, like a scarecrow (noun sense 1).
- 2
To splay (one's arms) away from the body, like the arms of a scarecrow.
- 3
To frighten or terrify (someone or something), as if using a scarecrow.
- 4
archaicTo spoil the appearance of (something, such as the landscape or a view), as scarecrows may be regarded as doing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scarecrow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds plan:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | épouvantail |
| German | Vogelscheuche |
| Portuguese | espantalho |
| Spanish | espantapájaros, espantajo |
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 scarecrow come from?
The noun is derived from scare (“to frighten, startle, terrify”) + crow (“bird of the genus Corvus”). The word displaced other terms such as bogle (now dialectal, dated), sewel or shewel, and shoy-hoy (perhaps imitative of the cry of crows). The verb is derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).