scoria

/ˈskɔː.ɹi.ə/

//ˈskɔː.ɹi.ə// noun

"scoria" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The slag or dross that remains after the smelting of metal from an ore.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scoria · scoria · English

scoria · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 scoria
PropertyValue
Headwordscoria
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskɔː.ɹi.ə/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scoria” in English

scoriaranks 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

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

scoria has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English, from Latin scōria, from Ancient Greek σκωρία (skōría), from σκῶρ (skôr, “dung”). The correct English form is scoria, spelled S-C-O-R-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The slag or dross that remains after the smelting of metal from an ore.
  2. 2
    Rough masses of rock formed by solidified lava, and which can be found around a volcano's crater.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The like stuff is in Anacharsis: hot metal; full of scoriae, which should and could have been smelted out, but which will not.
  2. To the south lay broken shapes of scoria in a lava bed as far as the eye could see.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English, from Latin scōria, from Ancient Greek σκωρία (skōría), from σκῶρ (skôr, “dung”).

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 "scoria"?
"scoria" is spelled S-C-O-R-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɔː.ɹi.ə/.
What does "scoria" mean?
As a noun, "scoria" means: The slag or dross that remains after the smelting of metal from an ore.
How do you pronounce "scoria"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scoria" is /ˈskɔː.ɹi.ə/. 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 "scoria"?
Inherited from Middle English, from Latin scōria, from Ancient Greek σκωρία (skōría), from σκῶρ (skôr, “dung”). 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