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skip

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "skip", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "skip" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "skip" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

skip is aEnglishverb. It means: To move by hopping on alternate feet. Pronounced /skɪp/. It ranks #5,082 in English word frequency. Often confused with SP and sky.

Key facts for skip
PropertyValue
Headwordskip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/skɪp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,082
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of skip in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for skip is 4 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,082 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 6 documented wrong-spelling variants for skip, with forms such as "ksip", "sikp", and "skipp". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "SP", "sky", "SNP", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English skippen, skyppen, of North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skupjaną, perhaps related to *skeubaną (“to drive, push”), iterative *skuppōną (“to push/move repeatedly, skip”), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ- (“to push, th… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is skip, spelled S-K-I-P, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move by hopping on alternate feet.
  2. 2
    To leap about lightly.
  3. 3
    To skim, ricochet or bounce over a surface.
  4. 4
    To throw (something), making it skim, ricochet, or bounce over a surface.
  5. 5
    To disregard, miss or omit part of a continuation (some item or stage).
  6. 6
    Not to attend (some event, especially a class or a meeting).
  7. 7
    To leave, especially in a sudden and covert manner.
  8. 8
    To leap lightly over.
  9. 9
    To jump rope.
  10. 10
    To cause the stylus to jump back to the previous loop of the record's groove, continuously repeating that part of the sound, as a result of excessive scratching or wear. (of a phonograph record)
  11. 11
    To pass by a stitch as if it were not there, continuing with the next stitch.
  12. 12
    To have insufficient ink transfer.

Etymology

From Middle English skippen, skyppen, of North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skupjaną, perhaps related to *skeubaną (“to drive, push”), iterative *skuppōną (“to push/move repeatedly, skip”), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ- (“to push, throw, shake”). Related to Icelandic skopa (“to take a run”), Old Swedish skuppa (“to skip”), modern dialectal Swedish skopa, skimpa (“to skip, leap”), and English shove. See also dialectal English skimp (“to mock”) (Etymology 1), considered by some to be related.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ksip,sikp,skipp,skkip,skpi,sskip

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for skip

Misspelling Variants of "skip"

ksip4sikp4skipp5skkip5skpi4sskip5
Misspelling Variants of "skip"

Frequency rank: #5,082 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "skip"?
"skip" is spelled S-K-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /skɪp/.
What does "skip" mean?
As a verb, "skip" means: To move by hopping on alternate feet.
What words are commonly confused with "skip"?
"skip" is commonly confused with "SP", "sky", "SNP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skip" is /skɪp/. 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 "skip"?
From Middle English skippen, skyppen, of North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skupjaną, perhaps related to *skeubaną (“to drive, push”), iterative *skuppōną (“to push/move repeatedly, skip”), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ- (“t... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.