scrape
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
6 characters
Language
English
word origin
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Detailed reference entry for the English word "scrape", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "scrape" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "scrape" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
scrape is aEnglishverb. It means: To draw (an object, especially a sharp or angular one), along (something) while exerting pressure. Pronounced /skɹeɪp/. Often confused with shape and strap.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | scrape |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /skɹeɪp/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #17,236 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for scrape is 6 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skɹeɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,236 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for scrape, with forms such as "csrape", "scarpe", and "sccrape". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "shape", "strap", "Snape", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English scrapen, from Old Norse skrapa (“to scrape, scratch”) and Old English scrapian (“to scrape, scratch”), both from Proto-Germanic *skrapōną, *skrepaną (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *skrebʰ- (“to engrave”). Cognate with D… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is scrape, spelled S-C-R-A-P-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1To draw (an object, especially a sharp or angular one), along (something) while exerting pressure.
- 2To remove (something) by drawing an object along in this manner.
- 3To injure or damage by rubbing across a surface.
- 4To barely manage to achieve or attain.
- 5To collect or gather, especially without regard to the quality of what is chosen.
- 6To extract data by automated means from a format not intended to be machine-readable, such as a screenshot or a formatted web page.
- 7To occupy oneself with getting laboriously.
- 8To play awkwardly and inharmoniously on a violin or similar instrument.
- 9To draw back the right foot along the ground or floor when making a bow.
- 10To express disapprobation of (a play, etc.) or to silence (a speaker) by drawing the feet back and forth upon the floor; usually with down.
Etymology
From Middle English scrapen, from Old Norse skrapa (“to scrape, scratch”) and Old English scrapian (“to scrape, scratch”), both from Proto-Germanic *skrapōną, *skrepaną (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *skrebʰ- (“to engrave”). Cognate with Dutch schrapen (“to scrape”), schrappen (“to strike through; to cancel; to scrap”), schrabben (“to scratch”), German schrappen (“to scrape”), Danish skrabe (“to scrape”), Icelandic skrapa (“to scrape”), Walloon screper (“to scrape”), Latin scribō (“dig with a pen, draw, write”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: csrape,scarpe,sccrape,scraep,scrappe,scrpae,scrrape,srcape,sscrape
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
Relative frequency of common misspelling types for scrape
Misspelling Variants of "scrape"
Frequency rank: #17,236 in English
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Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index: