skew-whiff
/ˈskjuː.(w)ɪf/
"skew-whiff" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“skew-whiff” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Askew; lopsided, not straight.
Corpus desk
Index EN-skew-whiff · skew-whiff · English
skew-whiff · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | skew-whiff |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈskjuː.(w)ɪf/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “skew-whiff” in English
Rare enough to double-check
skew-whiff is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈskjuː.(w)ɪf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Askew; lopsided, not straight.".
skew-whiff has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From skew + weft. The expression 'skew weft' dates at least from the 18th century as a term used by handloom weavers, typically in northern England. It was used originally to describe fabric which was out of alignment, and the term survives today in the man… The correct English form is skew-whiff, spelled S-K-E-W---W-H-I-F-F.
Definition
- 1Askew; lopsided, not straight.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how skew-whiff appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I hung up that picture, but it looks skew-whiff to me.
“[…]I′ve just been looking up at them and it seems to me that Cassiopeia′s Chair is a bit more skew-whiff than usual. Either it′s been moved or we′re heading the wrong way.”
Etymology
From skew + weft. The expression 'skew weft' dates at least from the 18th century as a term used by handloom weavers, typically in northern England. It was used originally to describe fabric which was out of alignment, and the term survives today in the manufacture of glass fiber cloth. The word weft does not derive from 'whiff' as in a puff of air (as suggested elsewhere). The modern spelling comes from a corruption of 'skew-wift' whose sound developed colloquially in spoken English from the original. Bow weft also exists.
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.