skiver
/ˈskaɪvəɹ/noun, verb
skiver is spelled S-K-I-V-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 50 million words in written English, the 220,118th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, skiver means “A slacker” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of skiver is skivers.
How many letters and syllables are in skiver?
| Letters | 6: S-K-I-V-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 50 million words; the 220,118th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 skiver?
Skiver appears about once in every 50 million words in written English, the 220,118th 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 skiver?
- UK /ˈskaɪvə/
- US /ˈskaɪvəɹ/
Skiver has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-skiver.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with skiver?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as skiver from its last stressed vowel (/aɪvəɹ/):
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 skiver
- skivers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- skivering participle, present
- skivered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does skiver mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalA slacker.
- 2
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalA truant; one who is absent without permission, especially from school.
- 3
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalOne who uses a skive (or skives).
- 4
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalA skewer.
- 5
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalAn inferior quality of leather, made of split sheepskin, tanned by immersion in sumac, and dyed, formerly used for hat linings, pocketbooks, bookbinding, etc.
- 6
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalThe cutting tool or machine used in splitting leather or skins.
verb
- 1
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalTo skewer, impale.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does skiver come from?
From skive (“play truant”) + -er. Probably from French esquiver (“slink away”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).