screwy

/ˈskɹuː.i/

//ˈskɹuː.i// adj

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

"screwy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“screwy” is uncommon English (frequency #66,274 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,274
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Crazy; silly; ridiculous

Corpus desk

Index EN-screwy · screwy · English

screwy · rank #66,274 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,274
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scree

Nearest frequency peer: scree (-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 “screwy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for screwy
PropertyValue
Headwordscrewy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskɹuː.i/
Letters6
Frequency rank#66,274
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “screwy” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).screwyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “scree” (#66,273), “scrubby” (#66,275), “Scouse” (#66,272). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “screwy” is #66,274. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

screwy is uncommon English at frequency #66,274 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈskɹuː.i/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for screwy in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From screw + -y. 1820, original meaning “tipsy, slightly drunk”; meaning “crazy, ridiculous” first recorded 1887. The correct English form is screwy, spelled S-C-R-E-W-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Crazy; silly; ridiculous
  2. 2
    Tipsy; slightly drunk.
  3. 3
    Exacting; extortionate; close.
  4. 4
    Worthless.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That's a screwy idea; I am not going to fly all the way to Antarctica just to see a penguin!
  2. Pretend it never happened. The insurance business is completely screwy now. You know they’ve reintroduced the death penalty for insurance company directors?

Etymology

From screw + -y. 1820, original meaning “tipsy, slightly drunk”; meaning “crazy, ridiculous” first recorded 1887.

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 "screwy"?
"screwy" is spelled S-C-R-E-W-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɹuː.i/.
What does "screwy" mean?
As an adjective, "screwy" means: Crazy; silly; ridiculous
How do you pronounce "screwy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "screwy" is /ˈskɹuː.i/. 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 "screwy"?
From screw + -y. 1820, original meaning “tipsy, slightly drunk”; meaning “crazy, ridiculous” first recorded 1887. 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 "screwy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Scouse#66,272schist#66,268sentai#66,280Sayyid#66,265

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list