scathe
/skeɪð/obsolete
scathe is spelled S-C-A-T-H-E: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 47 million words in written English, the 211,986th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scathe means “Damage, harm, hurt, injury” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scathe is scathes.
How many letters and syllables are in scathe?
| Letters | 6: S-C-A-T-H-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 47 million words; the 211,986th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is scathe?
Scathe appears about once in every 47 million words in written English, the 211,986th 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 scathe?
- /skeɪð/
- /skeɪθ/
As a verb (“To harm or injure (someone or something) physically”): /skeɪð/.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-AcpoKrane-scathe.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scathe2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with scathe?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as scathe from its last stressed vowel (/eɪð/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: chaste, stache, sachet.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of scathe
- scath
- skaith
- scaith
- scathes present, singular, he/she/it
- scathing participle, present
- scathed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scathe mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
UKarchaicDamage, harm, hurt, injury.
- 2
UKarchaicSomeone who, or something which, causes harm; an injurer.
- 3
UKarchaicobsoleteAn injury or loss for which compensation is sought in a lawsuit; damage; also, expenses incurred by a claimant; costs.
- 4
UKarchaicSomething to be mourned or regretted.
verb
- 1
ScotlandUKarchaicTo harm or injure (someone or something) physically.
- 2
ScotlandUKarchaicobsoleteTo cause monetary loss to (someone).
- 3
UKarchaicTo harm, injure, or destroy (someone or something) by fire, lightning, or some other heat source; to blast; to scorch; to wither.
- 4
UKarchaicTo severely hurt (someone's feelings, soul, etc., or something intangible) through acts, words spoken, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scathe in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Schaden , verletzen |
| Spanish | daño, herida, infortunio , zaherir , herir |
| Portuguese | ferir |
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 scathe come from?
From Middle English scath, scathe [and other forms], from Old Norse skaði (“damage, harm; loss; death; murder”), from Proto-Germanic *skaþô (“damage, scathe; one who causes damage, injurer”, noun) (whence Old English sċeaþa, sċeaþu (“scathe, harm, injury”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keh₁t- (“damage, harm”). Cognate with German Schaden (“damage, harm”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).