scrim

/skɹɪm/

//skɹɪm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“scrim” is uncommon English (frequency #53,230 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,230
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A kind of light cotton or linen fabric, often woven in openwork patterns, used for curtains, etc,.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scrim · scrim · English

scrim · rank #53,230 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,230
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sceptic

Nearest frequency peer: sceptic (-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 “scrim”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for scrim
PropertyValue
Headwordscrim
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skɹɪm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#53,230
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scrim” 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).scrimfalls 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: “sceptic” (#53,229), “sayer” (#53,227), “seductively” (#53,233). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scrim” is #53,230. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scrim is uncommon English at frequency #53,230 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /skɹɪm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for scrim, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested since the end of the 18th century. Origin unknown. In one of the earliest mentions, "The Statistical Account of Scotland", 1793, by John Sinclair, page 593, we read in a paragraph devoted to weavers: "Besides these, they are now much employed in wo… The correct English form is scrim, spelled S-C-R-I-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind of light cotton or linen fabric, often woven in openwork patterns, used for curtains, etc,.
  2. 2
    A large military scarf, usually camouflage coloured and used for concealment when not used as a scarf.
  3. 3
    A woven, nonwoven or knitted fabric composed of continuous strands of material used for reinforcing or strengthening membranes.
  4. 4
    A theater drop that appears opaque when a scene in front is lighted and transparent or translucent when a scene in back is lighted.
  5. 5
    A sheet of gauze etc. used to reduce the intensity of light.
  6. 6
    Thin canvas glued on the inside of panels to prevent shrinking, checking, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Mummified mannequins dangling above the set, illuminated from within, were a heavy-handed touch, but the designer George Tsypin’s translucent scrims and painted drops beautifully conveyed the passage of sun-blasted days and bone-chilling nights on the edge of civilization.

Etymology

Attested since the end of the 18th century. Origin unknown. In one of the earliest mentions, "The Statistical Account of Scotland", 1793, by John Sinclair, page 593, we read in a paragraph devoted to weavers: "Besides these, they are now much employed in working a thin kind of coarse linen called Silesias, vulgarly Scrims, whereof each piece is 27 or 30 inches broad".

This word in other languages

Gaze(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 "scrim"?
"scrim" is spelled S-C-R-I-M. The IPA pronunciation is /skɹɪm/.
What does "scrim" mean?
As a noun, "scrim" means: A kind of light cotton or linen fabric, often woven in openwork patterns, used for curtains, etc,.
How do you pronounce "scrim"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scrim" is /skɹɪm/. 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 "scrim"?
Attested since the end of the 18th century. Origin unknown. In one of the earliest mentions, "The Statistical Account of Scotland", 1793, by John Sinclair, page 593, we read in a paragraph devoted to weavers: "Besides these, they are now much empl... 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 "scrim", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sayer#53,227Selim#53,235Sakai#53,220rasta#53,198

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list