scarious

/ˈskɛəɹi.əs/

//ˈskɛəɹi.əs// adj

"scarious" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - thin, dry, membranous, and not green

Corpus desk

Index EN-scarious · scarious · English

scarious · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 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 scarious
PropertyValue
Headwordscarious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskɛəɹi.əs/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scarious” in English

scarioussits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

scarious is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈskɛəɹi.əs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for scarious in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: French scarieux. Compare scary. The correct English form is scarious, spelled S-C-A-R-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    thin, dry, membranous, and not green
  2. 2
    thin, dry, membranous
  3. 3
    scaly, scurfy

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A polymorphous plant, with larger (frequently three lines in diameter), more globose and racemose heads, and more scarious involucres than any form of A. vulgaris.
  2. Gray head goggling fowlwise on a scarious neck, turning.

Etymology

French scarieux. Compare scary.

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 "scarious"?
"scarious" is spelled S-C-A-R-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɛəɹi.əs/.
What does "scarious" mean?
As an adjective, "scarious" means: thin, dry, membranous, and not green
How do you pronounce "scarious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scarious" is /ˈskɛəɹi.əs/. 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 "scarious"?
French scarieux. Compare scary. 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