skittish

/ˈskɪtɪʃ/

//ˈskɪtɪʃ// adj

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

"skittish" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“skittish” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,660. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,660
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Easily scared or startled; timid.

Corpus desk

Index EN-skittish · skittish · English

skittish · rank #45,660 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,660
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH skiff

Nearest frequency peer: skiff (-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 “skittish”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “skittish” 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).

skittish vs Scottish
63% similar
skittish vs skirmish
75% similar

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

Key facts for skittish
PropertyValue
Headwordskittish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskɪtɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#45,660
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “skittish”

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).skittishlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “skiff” (#45,659), “Skopje” (#45,661), “singlehandedly” (#45,658). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “skittish” is #45,660. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around skittish (IPA /ˈskɪtɪʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #45,660 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for skittish, with forms such as "ksittish", "sikttish", and "skitish". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Scottish", "skirmish", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from skite (“to move lightly and hurriedly; to move suddenly, particularly in an oblique direction (Scotland, Northern England)”) + -ish; compare skitter. The correct English form is skittish, spelled S-K-I-T-T-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Easily scared or startled; timid.
  2. 2
    Wanton; changeable; fickle.
  3. 3
    Difficult to manage; tricky.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The dog likes people he knows, but he is skittish around strangers.
  2. 1557, Roger Edgeworth, Sermons Very Fruitfull, Godly, and Learned, London: Robert Caly, The fiftenth treatice or Sermon, All such be like a skittish starting horse, whiche coming ouer a bridge, wil start for a shadowe, or for a stone lying by him, and leapeth ouer on the other side into the water, & drowneth both horse and man.

Etymology

Probably from skite (“to move lightly and hurriedly; to move suddenly, particularly in an oblique direction (Scotland, Northern England)”) + -ish; compare skitter.

Synonyms

spookishjumpyskitteryskitterishsquirrelly

This word in other languages

temeroso(Español)timide(Français)scheu(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ksittish
  • sikttish
  • skitish
  • skititsh
  • skittihs
  • skittishh
  • skittissh
  • skittsih
  • skkittish
  • sktitish
  • sskittish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of skittish - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ksittish2sikttish2skitish1skititsh2skittihs2skittishh1skittissh1skittsih2
Edit distance from "skittish"

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 "skittish"?
"skittish" is spelled S-K-I-T-T-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɪtɪʃ/.
What does "skittish" mean?
As an adjective, "skittish" means: Easily scared or startled; timid.
What words are commonly confused with "skittish"?
"skittish" is commonly confused with "Scottish", "skirmish". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skittish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skittish" is /ˈskɪtɪʃ/. 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 "skittish"?
Probably from skite (“to move lightly and hurriedly; to move suddenly, particularly in an oblique direction (Scotland, Northern England)”) + -ish; compare skitter. 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 "skittish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Slattery#45,663shrunken#45,655solidity#45,668Sorrento#45,669

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Sunbury11 variantsrambler11 variantspinging11 variantspetticoat11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list