scaup

/skɔːp/

//skɔːp// noun

"scaup" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of three species of small diving duck in the genus Aythya.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scaup · scaup · English

scaup · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 scaup
PropertyValue
Headwordscaup
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skɔːp/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scaup” in English

scaupranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

scaup is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /skɔːp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

scaup doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: See scalp (“a bed of oysters or mussels”). The correct English form is scaup, spelled S-C-A-U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of three species of small diving duck in the genus Aythya.
  2. 2
    Alternative form of scalp (“a bed or stratum of shellfish”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Or spot gaggles of Canada geese, ducks and scaups flying over schools of bluefish.

Etymology

See scalp (“a bed of oysters or mussels”).

This word in other languages

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 "scaup"?
"scaup" is spelled S-C-A-U-P. The IPA pronunciation is /skɔːp/.
What does "scaup" mean?
As a noun, "scaup" means: Any of three species of small diving duck in the genus Aythya.
How do you pronounce "scaup"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scaup" is /skɔːp/. 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 "scaup"?
See scalp (“a bed of oysters or mussels”). 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