scrawny

/ˈskɹɔːni/

//ˈskɹɔːni// adj

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

"scrawny" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scrawny” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,372. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,372
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Thin, malnourished, and weak.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scrawny · scrawny · English

scrawny · rank #41,372 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #41,372
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SCO

Nearest frequency peer: SCO (-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 “scrawny”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “scrawny” 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).

scrawny vs scrappy
71% similar

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

Key facts for scrawny
PropertyValue
Headwordscrawny
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskɹɔːni/
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,372
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scrawny”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).scrawnylands 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 “SCO” (#41,371), “sear” (#41,374), “sequins” (#41,375). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scrawny” is #41,372. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around scrawny (IPA /ˈskɹɔːni/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #41,372 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Thin, malnourished, and weak.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for scrawny, with forms such as "csrawny", "scarwny", and "sccrawny". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "scrappy", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: A variant of dialectal scranny (“thin; lean; scraggy; poor; scanty; of inferior quality”), perhaps from Old Norse skran (“rubbish; junk”) + -y. Compare Norwegian skran (“lean, thin, skinny”), English scrannel (“lean; meager; poor; worthless”). Alternatively… The correct English form is scrawny, spelled S-C-R-A-W-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Thin, malnourished, and weak.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. “Tell him, in these words, that I will have his scrawny bones before me now. Tell him, Byar, and bring him if you must arrest him and those filthy wretches who disgrace the Children. Go.”

Etymology

A variant of dialectal scranny (“thin; lean; scraggy; poor; scanty; of inferior quality”), perhaps from Old Norse skran (“rubbish; junk”) + -y. Compare Norwegian skran (“lean, thin, skinny”), English scrannel (“lean; meager; poor; worthless”). Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse skrælna (“to be shrivelled”).

Synonyms

angularanorexiccarrionemaciatedganglingganglygaunthaggardmacilentlanklankyleptosomepencil-neckedpunyrangyrawbonedreedyscraggyscrawnyskin and bonesskinnystarvedthin as a rakeundernourishedunderweightwastedweedy

Antonyms

heavylargeobeseoverweightstrapping

This word in other languages

enjuto(Español)famélique(Français)dürr(Deutsch)magricela(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csrawny
  • scarwny
  • sccrawny
  • scranwy
  • scrawnny
  • scrawnyy
  • scrawwny
  • scrawyn
  • scrrawny
  • scrwany
  • srcawny
  • sscrawny

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scrawny - 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.

csrawny2scarwny2sccrawny1scranwy2scrawnny1scrawnyy1scrawwny1scrawyn2
Edit distance from "scrawny"

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 "scrawny"?
"scrawny" is spelled S-C-R-A-W-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɹɔːni/.
What does "scrawny" mean?
As an adjective, "scrawny" means: Thin, malnourished, and weak.
What words are commonly confused with "scrawny"?
"scrawny" is commonly confused with "scrappy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "scrawny"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scrawny" is /ˈskɹɔːni/. 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 "scrawny"?
A variant of dialectal scranny (“thin; lean; scraggy; poor; scanty; of inferior quality”), perhaps from Old Norse skran (“rubbish; junk”) + -y. Compare Norwegian skran (“lean, thin, skinny”), English scrannel (“lean; meager; poor; worthless”). Alt... 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 "scrawny", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sequins#41,375sanding#41,367Rubicon#41,361Roxbury#41,359

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Richelieu12 variantsrekindle12 variantsrebelling12 variantsprimeval12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list