skies

/skaɪz/

//skaɪz// noun

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

The verdict

“skies” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,204 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,204
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of sky though essentially synonymous with singular form; the heavens; the firmament; the atmosphere.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

skies vs skin
60% similar
skies vs skip
60% similar
skies vs Skye
40% similar

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

Key facts for skies
PropertyValue
Headwordskies
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skaɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,204
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “skies” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). skies lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for skies is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skaɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,204 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for skies, with forms such as "ksies", "sikes", and "skeis". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "skin", "skip", "Skye", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is skies, spelled S-K-I-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of sky though essentially synonymous with singular form; the heavens; the firmament; the atmosphere.
  2. 2
    plural of skie.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ksies,sikes,skeis,skiess,skise,skkies,sskies

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of skies - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ksies2sikes2skeis2skiess1skise2skkies1sskies1
Edit distance from "skies"

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 "skies"?
"skies" is spelled S-K-I-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /skaɪz/.
What does "skies" mean?
As a noun, "skies" means: plural of sky though essentially synonymous with singular form; the heavens; the firmament; the atmosphere.
What words are commonly confused with "skies"?
"skies" is commonly confused with "skin", "skip", "Skye". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skies"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skies" is /skaɪz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "skies" come from?
"skies" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “skies”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-K-I-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /skaɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “skin” - see the side-by-side comparison. skies vs skin
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list