scram

/skɹæm/

//skɹæm// verb

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

The verdict

“scram” is an uncommon English word, ranked #63,228 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#63,228
frequency rank, English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To leave in a hurry; to go away.

Key facts for scram
PropertyValue
Headwordscram
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/skɹæm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,228
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “scram” 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). scram 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 scram is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skɹæm/. Corpus data places it at rank #63,228 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To leave in a hurry; to go away.".

scram has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably either: * a clipping of scramble by apocope; or * from dialectal German schramm, the imperative singular form of schrammen (“to scratch, scrape”), from Late Middle High German schramm, schramme (“a graze, scratch”); further etymology unknown. The correct English form is scram, spelled S-C-R-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    To leave in a hurry; to go away.

Etymology

Probably either: * a clipping of scramble by apocope; or * from dialectal German schramm, the imperative singular form of schrammen (“to scratch, scrape”), from Late Middle High German schramm, schramme (“a graze, scratch”); further etymology unknown.

This word in other languages

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 "scram"?
"scram" is spelled S-C-R-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /skɹæm/.
What does "scram" mean?
As a verb, "scram" means: To leave in a hurry; to go away.
How do you pronounce "scram"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scram" is /skɹæm/. 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 "scram"?
Probably either: * a clipping of scramble by apocope; or * from dialectal German schramm, the imperative singular form of schrammen (“to scratch, scrape”), from Late Middle High German schramm, schramme (“a graze, scratch”); further etymology unkn... 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 “scram”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-C-R-A-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /skɹæm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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