score

/skɔː/

//skɔː// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“score” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,576 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,576
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant in a game.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

score vs soe
60% similar
score vs sor
60% similar
score vs some
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for score
PropertyValue
Headwordscore
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skɔː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,576
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “score” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). score lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for score is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,576 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 23 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for score, with forms such as "csore", "sccore", and "scoer". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "soe", "sor", "some", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English score, skore, schore, from Old English scoru (“notch; tally; score”), from Old Norse skor, from Proto-Germanic *skurō (“incision; tear; rift”), which is related to *skeraną (“to cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“cut”)… The correct English form is score, spelled S-C-O-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant in a game.
  2. 2
    The number of points accrued by each of the participants in a game, expressed as a ratio or a series of numbers.
  3. 3
    The performance of an individual or group on an examination or test, expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol; a grade.
  4. 4
    Twenty (20).
  5. 5
    Twenty (20).
  6. 6
    Twenty (20).
  7. 7
    Twenty (20).
  8. 8
    Twenty (20).
  9. 9
    A great deal; many, several.
  10. 10
    An amount of money won in gambling; winnings.
  11. 11
    The written form of a musical composition showing all instrumental and vocal parts.
  12. 12
    The music of a movie or play.
  13. 13
    A subject.
  14. 14
    An account; a reason; a motive; a sake; a behalf.
  15. 15
    A notch or incision; especially, one that is made as a tally mark; hence, a mark, or line, made for the purpose of account.
  16. 16
    An account or reckoning; account of dues; bill; debt.
  17. 17
    A criminal act, especially:
  18. 18
    A criminal act, especially:
  19. 19
    A criminal act, especially:
  20. 20
    A criminal act, especially:
  21. 21
    A sexual conquest.
  22. 22
    In the Lowestoft area, a narrow pathway running down a cliff to the beach.
  23. 23
    A document which systematically lists differences among compiled manuscripts of a source text.

Etymology

From Middle English score, skore, schore, from Old English scoru (“notch; tally; score”), from Old Norse skor, from Proto-Germanic *skurō (“incision; tear; rift”), which is related to *skeraną (“to cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“cut”). Cognate with Icelandic skora, Swedish skåra, Danish skår. Related to shear. For the sense “twenty”: The mark on a tally made by drovers for every twenty beasts passing through a tollgate.

Synonyms

prostitute's client

This word in other languages

tantos(Español)score(Français)Spielergebnis(Deutsch)marcador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: csore,sccore,scoer,scorre,scroe,socre,sscore

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of score - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

csore2sccore1scoer2scorre1scroe2socre2sscore1
Edit distance from "score"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "score"?
"score" is spelled S-C-O-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /skɔː/.
What does "score" mean?
As a noun, "score" means: The total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant in a game.
What words are commonly confused with "score"?
"score" is commonly confused with "soe", "sor", "some". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "score"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "score" is /skɔː/. 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 "score"?
From Middle English score, skore, schore, from Old English scoru (“notch; tally; score”), from Old Norse skor, from Proto-Germanic *skurō (“incision; tear; rift”), which is related to *skeraną (“to cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ke... 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 “score”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-C-O-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /skɔː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “soe” - see the side-by-side comparison. score vs soe
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list