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scout

/ˈskaʊ̯t/noun, verb

scout is spelled S-C-O-U-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scout means “A person sent out to gather and bring back information; especially, one employed in war to gain information about the enemy and ground” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scout is scouts.

How many letters and syllables are in scout?

Letters5: S-C-O-U-T
Syllables1
In writing9.3 times per million words; the 7,445th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

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 scout?

Scout appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th 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 scout?

  • US /ˈskaʊ̯t/
  • /ˈskɐʊ̯t/
  • /ˈskʌʊ̯t/

Scout has one syllable.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scout.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with scout?

10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as scout from its last stressed vowel (/aʊt/):

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 scout

  • scouts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • scouting participle, present
  • scouted participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does scout mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A person sent out to gather and bring back information; especially, one employed in war to gain information about the enemy and ground.

  2. 2

    An act of scouting or reconnoitering.

  3. 3

    A member of any number of youth organizations belonging to the international scout movement, such as the Boy Scouts of America or Girl Scouts of the United States.

  4. 4

    A person who assesses or recruits others; especially, one who identifies promising talent on behalf of a sports team.

  5. 5

    A person employed to monitor rivals' activities in the petroleum industry.

  6. 6

    A housekeeper or domestic cleaner, generally female, employed by one of the constituent colleges of Oxford University to clean rooms; generally equivalent to a modern bedder at Cambridge University.

  7. 7

    A domestic servant, generally male, who would attend (usually several) students in a variety of ways, including cleaning; generally equivalent to a gyp at Cambridge University or a skip at Trinity College, Dublin.

  8. 8

    UKA fielder in a game for practice.

  9. 9

    The guillemot.

  10. 10

    datedA swift sailing boat.

verb

  1. 1

    To explore a wide terrain, as if on a search.

  2. 2

    To observe, watch, or look for, as a scout; to follow for the purpose of observation, as a scout.

  3. 3

    To reject with contempt.

    to scout an idea or an apology

  4. 4

    To reject the ideas or beliefs of (a person).

  5. 5

    To scoff.

  6. 6

    ScotlandTo pour forth a liquid forcibly, especially excrement; to cause a liquid to gush.

noun

as Scout
  1. 1

    A member of any of various scouting organizations.

  2. 2

    A member of one of several army units, such as the Selous Scouts or the Arunachal Scouts.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Scout in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchéclaireur, éclaireuse (person sent out to gain and bring in tidings), reconnaissance (act of scouting), scout (member of the scout movement), aller en reconnaissance, partir en reconnaissance (to explore a wide terrain)
GermanKundschafter, Kundschafterin, Späher, Späherin (person sent out to gain and bring in tidings), Erkundung, Aufklärung (act of scouting)
Portuguesebatedor (person sent out to gain and bring in tidings), batimento (act of scouting), escoteiro (member of the scout movement), bater (to explore a wide terrain), olheiro (one who identifies promising talent)
Spanishesculca, avanzada, avanzadilla, partida, cerniente (person sent out to gain and bring in tidings), scout (member of the scout movement)

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 scout come from?

From Middle English scout, scoult, from Old French escoute (“action of listening”), verbal noun from escouter (“to listen, heed”), from Latin auscultō (“to listen”). The verb comes from the noun.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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