scunner

verb

"scunner" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scunner” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be sick of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scunner · scunner · English

scunner · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for scunner
PropertyValue
Headwordscunner
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scunner” in English

scunnerranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scunner is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for scunner in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Scots scunner, skunner, from Old Scots skunnyr, skowner (“to shrink back; flinch”), from Middle English skoneren (“to feel sick or disgusted”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a frequentative of shun. If so, etymologically shun + -er (freque… The correct English form is scunner, spelled S-C-U-N-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be sick of.
  2. 2
    To dislike.
  3. 3
    To cause to loathe, or feel disgust at.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. But maybe she'd just got scunnered with Glasgow, fucked off to try her luck someplace else.

Etymology

Borrowed from Scots scunner, skunner, from Old Scots skunnyr, skowner (“to shrink back; flinch”), from Middle English skoneren (“to feel sick or disgusted”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a frequentative of shun. If so, etymologically shun + -er (frequentative suffix). Compare also Middle English scurnen (“to flinch”), English scare, English scorn.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scunner"?
"scunner" is spelled S-C-U-N-N-E-R.
What does "scunner" mean?
As a verb, "scunner" means: To be sick of.
What is the origin of the word "scunner"?
Borrowed from Scots scunner, skunner, from Old Scots skunnyr, skowner (“to shrink back; flinch”), from Middle English skoneren (“to feel sick or disgusted”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a frequentative of shun. If so, etymologically shun + -... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
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Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list