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 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,273
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Loose stony debris on a slope.

Key facts for scree
PropertyValue
Headwordscree
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skɹiː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#66,273
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “scree” 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). scree lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scree is uncommon English at frequency #66,273 among 54,294 “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.

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.

Using “scree”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-C-R-E-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /skɹiː/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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