scavenger hunt

/ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)hʌnt/

//ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)hʌnt// noun

"scavenger-hunt" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A game in which individuals or teams seek to find a number of specific items, or perform tasks, as given in a list.

Key facts for scavenger hunt
PropertyValue
Headwordscavenger hunt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)hʌnt/
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “scavenger hunt” sits in English frequency

scavenger hunt falls 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

scavenger hunt is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)hʌnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A game in which individuals or teams seek to find a number of specific items, or perform tasks, as given in a list.".

No misspelling variants are generated for scavenger hunt in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From scavenger + hunt. The correct English form is scavenger hunt, spelled S-C-A-V-E-N-G-E-R- -H-U-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A game in which individuals or teams seek to find a number of specific items, or perform tasks, as given in a list.

Etymology

From scavenger + hunt.

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 "scavenger hunt"?
"scavenger hunt" is spelled S-C-A-V-E-N-G-E-R- -H-U-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)hʌnt/.
What does "scavenger hunt" mean?
As a noun, "scavenger hunt" means: A game in which individuals or teams seek to find a number of specific items, or perform tasks, as given in a list.
How do you pronounce "scavenger hunt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scavenger hunt" is /ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)hʌnt/. 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 "scavenger hunt"?
From scavenger + hunt. 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.

Using “scavenger hunt”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-C-A-V-E-N-G-E-R- -H-U-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)hʌnt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list