scuff

/skʌf/

//skʌf// verb

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

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

The verdict

“scuff” is uncommon English (frequency #56,421 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,421
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To scrape the feet while walking.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scuff · scuff · English

scuff · rank #56,421 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,421
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Scylla

Nearest frequency peer: Scylla (+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 “scuff”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for scuff
PropertyValue
Headwordscuff
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/skʌf/
Letters5
Frequency rank#56,421
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scuff” 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).scufffalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Scylla” (#56,422), “Salva” (#56,417), “servile” (#56,425). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scuff” is #56,421. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scuff is uncommon English at frequency #56,421 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /skʌf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

scuff has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Scots scuff (“to touch lightly, graze, hit”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old Norse skúfa (“to shove, push aside”), from Proto-Germanic *skeubaną (“to shove”). Or, perhaps imitative. More at shove. The correct English form is scuff, spelled S-C-U-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    To scrape the feet while walking.
  2. 2
    To scrape and roughen the surface of (shoes, etc.)
  3. 3
    To hit lightly, to brush against.
  4. 4
    To mishit (a shot on a ball) due to poor contact with the ball.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The lawns and gardens had been scuffed away.
  2. Wallace threw himself at it to connect with a flying header. He looked a certain scorer but his effort scuffed the inside of Fraser Forster’s post.

Etymology

From Scots scuff (“to touch lightly, graze, hit”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old Norse skúfa (“to shove, push aside”), from Proto-Germanic *skeubaną (“to shove”). Or, perhaps imitative. More at shove.

This word in other languages

arrastrar(Español)arrastar(Português)

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 "scuff"?
"scuff" is spelled S-C-U-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is /skʌf/.
What does "scuff" mean?
As a verb, "scuff" means: To scrape the feet while walking.
How do you pronounce "scuff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scuff" is /skʌf/. 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 "scuff"?
From Scots scuff (“to touch lightly, graze, hit”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old Norse skúfa (“to shove, push aside”), from Proto-Germanic *skeubaną (“to shove”). Or, perhaps imitative. More at shove. 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 "scuff", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Salva#56,417sibyl#56,437Pyotr#56,387putts#56,385

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list