scud

/skʌd/

//skʌd// adj

"scud" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scud” is uncommon English (frequency #55,087 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,087
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Naked.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scud · scud · English

scud · rank #55,087 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,087
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scrubber

Nearest frequency peer: scrubber (-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 “scud”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for scud
PropertyValue
Headwordscud
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/skʌd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#55,087
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scud” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).scudfalls 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: “scrubber” (#55,086), “scimitar” (#55,085), “sciatica” (#55,084). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scud” is #55,087. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scud is uncommon English at frequency #55,087 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /skʌd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Naked.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for scud, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English scud (“incrustation, scurf, scab, peel, shedding”), perhaps from Old Norse skjóta (“to shoot, push, throw off, shed”) (see also scoot). The correct English form is scud, spelled S-C-U-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Naked.

Etymology

From Middle English scud (“incrustation, scurf, scab, peel, shedding”), perhaps from Old Norse skjóta (“to shoot, push, throw off, shed”) (see also scoot).

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 "scud"?
"scud" is spelled S-C-U-D. The IPA pronunciation is /skʌd/.
What does "scud" mean?
As an adjective, "scud" means: Naked.
How do you pronounce "scud"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scud" is /skʌd/. 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 "scud"?
From Middle English scud (“incrustation, scurf, scab, peel, shedding”), perhaps from Old Norse skjóta (“to shoot, push, throw off, shed”) (see also scoot). 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 "scud", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list