ski
/ʃiː/noun, verb
ski is spelled S-K-I: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ski means “One of a pair of long flat runners designed for gliding over snow or water” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ski is skis.
How many letters and syllables are in ski?
| Letters | 3: S-K-I |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ski?
Ski appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ski?
- /skiː/
- UK /ʃiː/
Ski has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ski.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ski?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ski from its last stressed vowel (/i/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: sik.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ski
- skis plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- skies present, singular, he/she/it
- skiing participle, present
- skied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ski mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of a pair of long flat runners designed for gliding over snow or water.
- 2
One of a pair of long flat runners under some flying machines, used for landing.
- 3
A trip made by skiing.
to go for a ski
verb
- 1
To move on skis.
- 2
To travel over (a slope, etc.) on skis; to travel on skis at (a place), (especially as a sport).
We spent the winter holidays skiing the Alps
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ski in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ski , skier |
| German | Ski, Schi , Ski fahren, Schi fahren, Ski laufen, Schi laufen |
| Portuguese | esqui , esquiar |
| Spanish | esquí , esquiar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ski come from?
From Norwegian ski, from Old Norse skíð (“stick of wood, snowshoe”), from Proto-Germanic *skīdą (“stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, split”) (see also shed). Cognate with Old English sċīd (“stick of wood”) (modern shide), Old High German skit (Modern German Scheit (“log”)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).