scruple
scru·ple/ˈskɹupəl/noun, verb
scruple is spelled S-C-R-U-P-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (scru·ple). It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 107,757th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scruple means “Hesitation to act from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; doubt, hesitation or unwillingness due to motives of conscience…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scruple is scruples.
How many letters and syllables are in scruple?
| Letters | 7: S-C-R-U-P-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: scru·ple |
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 107,757th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is scruple?
Scruple appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 107,757th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce scruple?
- UK /ˈskɹuːpəl/
- US /ˈskɹupəl/
Scruple has 2 syllables, split scru·ple in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-scruple.ogg, En-au-scruple.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with scruple?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as scruple from its last stressed vowel (/upəl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of scruple
- scruples plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- scrupling participle, present
- scrupled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scruple mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Hesitation to act from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; doubt, hesitation or unwillingness due to motives of conscience; moral qualm.
- 2
A weight of ¹⁄₂₈₈ of a pound, that is, twenty grains or one third of a dram, about 1.3 grams (symbol: ℈).
- 3
A Hebrew unit of time equal to ¹⁄₁₀₈₀ hour.
- 4
obsoleteA very small quantity; a particle.
- 5
obsoleteA doubt or uncertainty concerning a matter of fact; intellectual perplexity.
verb
- 1
To hesitate or be reluctant to act due to considerations of conscience or expedience.
They wouldn't scruple to cheat us if given the opportunity.
- 2
To excite scruples in; to cause to scruple.
- 3
To regard with suspicion; to question.
- 4
obsoleteTo question the truth of (a fact, etc.); to doubt; to hesitate to believe, to question.
I do not scruple to admit that all the Earth seeth but only half of the Moon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate scruple?
Wiktionary records 3 abbreviations of scruple: s, sc., scr..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scruple in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | scrupule |
| German | Skrupel |
| Portuguese | escrúpulo , escrópulo |
| Spanish | escrúpulo , escrupulizar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does scruple come from?
From Old French scrupule, from Latin scrūpulus (“(literally) a small sharp or pointed stone; uneasiness of mind, anxiety, doubt, trouble; scruple”) and scrūpulum (“one twenty-fourth of an ounce”), diminutives of scrūpus (“a rough or sharp stone; anxiety, uneasiness”); perhaps akin to Ancient Greek σκύρος (skúros, “the chippings of stone”), from ξυρόν (xurón, “razor”), from ξύω (xúō, “to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *ksew-. Doublet of escropulo and escrupulo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).