scurry

/ˈskʌ.ɹi/

//ˈskʌ.ɹi// verb

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

"scurry" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scurry” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,893. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,893
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To run with quick light steps, to scamper.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scurry · scurry · English

scurry · rank #47,893 · 8 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,893
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SCSI

Nearest frequency peer: SCSI (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “scurry”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “scurry” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

scurry vs sorry
67% similar
scurry vs surly
67% similar
scurry vs surry
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for scurry
PropertyValue
Headwordscurry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈskʌ.ɹi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#47,893
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scurry”

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).scurrylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “SCSI” (#47,892), “Schmid” (#47,891), “secessionist” (#47,895). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scurry” is #47,893. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around scurry (IPA /ˈskʌ.ɹi/), averb. Corpus frequency is #47,893 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To run with quick light steps, to scamper.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for scurry, with forms such as "csurry", "sccurry", and "scrury". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "sorry", "surly", "surry", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Perhaps from hurry-skurry, a reduplication of hurry. The correct English form is scurry, spelled S-C-U-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To run with quick light steps, to scamper.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Shakespeare has gone back to the formula of last season, by encouraging his players to press high up the pitch and restoring Shinji Okazaki to the starting XI to scurry around between midfield and attack.
  2. Then the piglet tore loose from the creepers and scurried into the undergrowth.

Etymology

Perhaps from hurry-skurry, a reduplication of hurry.

Synonyms

scamperhurryzoomrush

This word in other languages

corretear(Español)détaler(Français)hasten(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csurry
  • sccurry
  • scrury
  • scurryy
  • scury
  • scuryr
  • sscurry
  • sucrry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scurry - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

csurry2sccurry1scrury2scurryy1scury1scuryr2sscurry1sucrry2
Edit distance from "scurry"

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 "scurry"?
"scurry" is spelled S-C-U-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskʌ.ɹi/.
What does "scurry" mean?
As a verb, "scurry" means: To run with quick light steps, to scamper.
What words are commonly confused with "scurry"?
"scurry" is commonly confused with "sorry", "surly", "surry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "scurry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scurry" is /ˈskʌ.ɹi/. 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 "scurry"?
Perhaps from hurry-skurry, a reduplication of hurry. 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 "scurry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Schmid#47,891Sedona#47,896shader#47,901shaper#47,903

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Sapporo8 variantsrococo8 variantsrialto8 variantspullout8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list