skinny

/ˈskɪni/

//ˈskɪni// adj

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

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

The verdict

“skinny” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,285. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,285
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Thin, generally in a negative sense (as opposed to slim, which is thin in a positive sense).

Corpus desk

Index EN-skinny · skinny · English

skinny · rank #7,285 · 8 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,285
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shapes

Nearest frequency peer: shapes (-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 “skinny”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “skinny” 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).

skinny vs sunny
67% similar
skinny vs skins
67% similar
skinny vs sonny
67% similar

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

Key facts for skinny
PropertyValue
Headwordskinny
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskɪni/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,285
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “skinny”

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).skinnylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “shapes” (#7,284), “slipped” (#7,286), “sailing” (#7,283). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “skinny” is #7,285. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around skinny (IPA /ˈskɪni/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,285 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for skinny, with forms such as "ksinny", "siknny", and "skinnyy". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "sunny", "skins", "sonny", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English skinny (“resembling skin”), equivalent to skin + -y. The meaning associated with lack of fat or muscle possibly derives from the phrase skin and bones; the meaning associated with nudity refers to the exposed skin. The correct English form is skinny, spelled S-K-I-N-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Thin, generally in a negative sense (as opposed to slim, which is thin in a positive sense).
  2. 2
    Of food or a beverage, having reduced fat or calories.
  3. 3
    Naked; nude (chiefly used in the phrase skinny dipping).
  4. 4
    Tight-fitting.
  5. 5
    Synonym of thin (“type of shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Her recent weight loss has made her look rather skinny than slender
  2. skinny flat white

Etymology

From Middle English skinny (“resembling skin”), equivalent to skin + -y. The meaning associated with lack of fat or muscle possibly derives from the phrase skin and bones; the meaning associated with nudity refers to the exposed skin.

This word in other languages

delgado(Español)maigre(Français)mager(Deutsch)magro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ksinny
  • siknny
  • skinnyy
  • skiny
  • skinyn
  • skkinny
  • skniny
  • sskinny

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of skinny - 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.

ksinny2siknny2skinnyy1skiny1skinyn2skkinny1skniny2sskinny1
Edit distance from "skinny"

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 "skinny"?
"skinny" is spelled S-K-I-N-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɪni/.
What does "skinny" mean?
As an adjective, "skinny" means: Thin, generally in a negative sense (as opposed to slim, which is thin in a positive sense).
What words are commonly confused with "skinny"?
"skinny" is commonly confused with "sunny", "skins", "sonny". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skinny"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skinny" is /ˈskɪni/. 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 "skinny"?
From Middle English skinny (“resembling skin”), equivalent to skin + -y. The meaning associated with lack of fat or muscle possibly derives from the phrase skin and bones; the meaning associated with nudity refers to the exposed skin. 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 "skinny", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shapes#7,284roller#7,282upload#7,300vector#7,301

Similar misspelling depth

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

spark8 variantsstraw8 variantsatomic8 variantsBryan8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list