scree

/skɹiː/

//skɹiː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“scree” is uncommon English (frequency #66,273 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,273
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Loose stony debris on a slope.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scree · scree · English

scree · rank #66,273 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,273
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Scouse

Nearest frequency peer: Scouse (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “scree”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “scree” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for scree
PropertyValue
Headwordscree
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skɹiː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#66,273
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scree” in English

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).screefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Scouse” (#66,272), “screwy” (#66,274), “scoresheet” (#66,271). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scree” is #66,273. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scree is uncommon English at frequency #66,273 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /skɹiː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for scree in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably a back-formation from screes, from Old Norse skriða (“landslide, landslip”); compare skríða (“to glide”) (from Proto-Germanic *skrīþaną (“to crawl; to glide; to walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreyt-, *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”)). The word is c… The correct English form is scree, spelled S-C-R-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Loose stony debris on a slope.
  2. 2
    Similar debris made up of broken building material such as bricks, concrete, etc.
  3. 3
    A slope made up of scree at the base of a cliff, mountain, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To the north the towering scree-strewn slopes of Saddleback begin to draw nearer as we start the abrupt descent towards Keswick.
  2. Struggling down the slope, There's not much hope. I begin to try to ride the scree But the rocks are tumbling all around me.

Etymology

Probably a back-formation from screes, from Old Norse skriða (“landslide, landslip”); compare skríða (“to glide”) (from Proto-Germanic *skrīþaną (“to crawl; to glide; to walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreyt-, *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”)). The word is cognate with Icelandic skriða (“avalanche; landslide, landslip; steep mountain- or hillside made up of gravel and loose rocks”).

This word in other languages

canchal(Español)éboulis(Français)Schutt(Deutsch)

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 "scree"?
"scree" is spelled S-C-R-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /skɹiː/.
What does "scree" mean?
As a noun, "scree" means: Loose stony debris on a slope.
How do you pronounce "scree"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scree" is /skɹiː/. 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 "scree"?
Probably a back-formation from screes, from Old Norse skriða (“landslide, landslip”); compare skríða (“to glide”) (from Proto-Germanic *skrīþaną (“to crawl; to glide; to walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreyt-, *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”)). The... 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 "scree", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Shedd#66,285Shoah#66,290Sirte#66,294slava#66,300

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list