scour
/ˈskaʊɚ/verb, noun
scour is spelled S-C-O-U-R: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, scour means “To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in scour?
| Letters | 5: S-C-O-U-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is scour?
Scour appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce scour?
- UK /ˈskaʊə/
- US /ˈskaʊɚ/
- US /skaʊɹ/
Scour has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-scour.ogg, En-au-scour.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with scour?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as scour from its last stressed vowel (/aʊəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cours.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of scour
- scours present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- scouring participle, present
- scoured participle, past
- scower
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scour mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent.
He scoured the burnt food from the pan.
- 2
To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water.
- 3
To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge.
to scour a horse
- 4
To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery.
If a lamb is scouring, do not delay treatment.
- 5
obsoleteTo cleanse (something) without rubbing.
- 6
To search an area thoroughly.
They scoured the scene of the crime for clues.
- 7
To run with speed; to scurry.
- 8
To move swiftly over; to brush along.
noun
- 1
The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.
Bridge scour may scoop out scour holes and compromise the integrity of the structure.
- 2
A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall.
- 3
A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing.
- 4
Diarrhoea, in livestock; scouring.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scour in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | récurer, verrer , purger , écumer, passer au peigne fin |
| German | scheuern, reinigen, putzen, abbürsten, abreiben, ausscheuern |
| Spanish | fregar, refregar, restregar , purgar , peinar, rastrillar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does scour come from?
From Middle English scǒuren (“to polish, scour; to clean; to beat, whip”), from Middle Dutch scuren, schuren (“to clean; to polish”) or Middle Low German schǖren, of uncertain origin but probably from Old French escurer, from Medieval Latin scūrō, escūrō, excūrō (“to clean off”), from ex- (“thoroughly”) + cūrō (“to arrange, see to, take care of”), from cūra (“care, concern”) (from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeys- (“to heed”)) + -ō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).