skitter
skit·ter/ˈskɪtɚ/verb, noun
skitter is spelled S-K-I-T-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables (skit·ter). It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, skitter means “To move hurriedly or as by bouncing or twitching; to scamper, to scurry; to scuttle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in skitter?
| Letters | 7: S-K-I-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: skit·ter |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 91,522nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 skitter?
Skitter appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd 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 skitter?
- UK /ˈskɪtə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈskɪtɚ/
- US [ˈskɪɾɚ]
Skitter has 2 syllables, split skit·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-skitter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with skitter?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as skitter from its last stressed vowel (/ɪtəɹ/):
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 skitter
- skitters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- skittering participle, present
- skittered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does skitter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move hurriedly or as by bouncing or twitching; to scamper, to scurry; to scuttle.
I opened the cabinet and a number of cockroaches went skittering off into the darkness.
- 2
To make a scratching or scuttling noise while, or as if, skittering.
- 3
To move or pass (something) over a surface quickly so that it touches only at intervals; to skip, to skite.
- 4
ScotlandTo cause to have diarrhea.
- 5
ScotlandTo suffer from a bout of diarrhea; to produce thin excrement.
noun
- 1
A skittering movement.
A skitter of activity. A skitter of gooseflesh.
- 2
ScotlandOften skitters: the condition of suffering from diarrhea; thin excrement.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Skitter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 skitter come from?
Possibly a frequentative of skite (“to move lightly and hurriedly; to move suddenly, particularly in an oblique direction”) (Scotland, Northern England). The noun is derived from the verb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).