skirt

/skɜːt/

//skɜːt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“skirt” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,609 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,609
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

skirt vs sort
60% similar
skirt vs suit
60% similar
skirt vs stir
60% similar

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

Key facts for skirt
PropertyValue
Headwordskirt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skɜːt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,609
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “skirt” 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). skirt 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 skirt is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skɜːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,609 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for skirt, with forms such as "ksirt", "sikrt", and "skirrt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sort", "suit", "stir", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English skyrte, from Old Norse skyrta, from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ. Doublet of shirt. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Skoarte (“apron”), Dutch schort (“apron”), German Schürze (“apron”), Danish skørt (“skirt”), Swedish skört (“hem of a jacket”)… The correct English form is skirt, spelled S-K-I-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.
  2. 2
    A similar part of a dress or robe, etc., that hangs below the waist.
  3. 3
    A loose edging to any part of a dress.
  4. 4
    A petticoat.
  5. 5
    A woman.
  6. 6
    Women collectively, in a sexual context.
  7. 7
    Sexual intercourse with a woman.
  8. 8
    A border; edge; margin; extreme part of anything.
  9. 9
    A diaphragm, or midriff.

Etymology

From Middle English skyrte, from Old Norse skyrta, from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ. Doublet of shirt. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Skoarte (“apron”), Dutch schort (“apron”), German Schürze (“apron”), Danish skørt (“skirt”), Swedish skört (“hem of a jacket”), Norwegian skjørt (“skirt”).

This word in other languages

falda(Español)jupe(Français)Rock(Deutsch)saia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ksirt,sikrt,skirrt,skirtt,skitr,skkirt,skrit,sskirt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ksirt2sikrt2skirrt1skirtt1skitr2skkirt1skrit2sskirt1
Edit distance from "skirt"

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 "skirt"?
"skirt" is spelled S-K-I-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /skɜːt/.
What does "skirt" mean?
As a noun, "skirt" means: A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.
What words are commonly confused with "skirt"?
"skirt" is commonly confused with "sort", "suit", "stir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skirt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skirt" is /skɜːt/. 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 "skirt"?
From Middle English skyrte, from Old Norse skyrta, from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ. Doublet of shirt. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Skoarte (“apron”), Dutch schort (“apron”), German Schürze (“apron”), Danish skørt (“skirt”), Swedish skört (“hem of ... 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.

Using “skirt”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-K-I-R-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /skɜːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sort” - see the side-by-side comparison. skirt vs sort
  • 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