scorn

/skɔːn/

//skɔːn// verb

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

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

The verdict

“scorn” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,584. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,584
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scorn · scorn · English

scorn · rank #24,584 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,584
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Schwarzenegger

Nearest frequency peer: Schwarzenegger (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “scorn”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “scorn” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

scorn vs son
60% similar
scorn vs sor
60% similar
scorn vs soon
60% similar

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

Key facts for scorn
PropertyValue
Headwordscorn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/skɔːn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#24,584
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scorn”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).scornlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Schwarzenegger” (#24,583), “screwdriver” (#24,585), “schizophrenic” (#24,582). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scorn” is #24,584. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around scorn (IPA /skɔːn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #24,584 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for scorn, with forms such as "csorn", "sccorn", and "sconr". 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, "son", "sor", "soon", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Verb from Middle English scornen, schornen, alteration of Old French escharnir, from Vulgar Latin *escarnire, from Proto-West Germanic *skarnijan, possibly from Proto-Germanic *skeraną (“to shear”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”)), or possibly… The correct English form is scorn, spelled S-C-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
  2. 2
    To reject, turn down.
  3. 3
    To refuse to do something, as beneath oneself.
  4. 4
    To scoff, to express contempt.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Cry is ſtill, they come: our Caſtles ſtrength / Will laugh a Siedge to ſcorne
  2. We scorn what is in itself contemptible or disgraceful.

Etymology

Verb from Middle English scornen, schornen, alteration of Old French escharnir, from Vulgar Latin *escarnire, from Proto-West Germanic *skarnijan, possibly from Proto-Germanic *skeraną (“to shear”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”)), or possibly related to *skarną (“dung, filth”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱerd-, *(s)ḱer- (“dung, manure, filth”)). Noun from Old French escarn (cognate with Portuguese escárnio, Spanish escarnio and Italian scherno). Cognate with Middle High German schern (“joke, mockery, scorn”), Old English sċierniċġe (“female entertainer, juggler, actress”).

This word in other languages

despreciar(Español)mépriser(Français)verachten(Deutsch)desprezar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csorn
  • sccorn
  • sconr
  • scornn
  • scorrn
  • scron
  • socrn
  • sscorn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scorn - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

csorn2sccorn1sconr2scornn1scorrn1scron2socrn2sscorn1
Edit distance from "scorn"

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 "scorn"?
"scorn" is spelled S-C-O-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /skɔːn/.
What does "scorn" mean?
As a verb, "scorn" means: To feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
What words are commonly confused with "scorn"?
"scorn" is commonly confused with "son", "sor", "soon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "scorn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scorn" is /skɔːn/. 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 "scorn"?
Verb from Middle English scornen, schornen, alteration of Old French escharnir, from Vulgar Latin *escarnire, from Proto-West Germanic *skarnijan, possibly from Proto-Germanic *skeraną (“to shear”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”)), o... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "scorn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rabid#24,562quirk#24,561quail#24,560puffy#24,557

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

sonata8 variantspluck8 variantspinning8 variantsveneer8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list