Skye

/skaɪ/

//skaɪ// name

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

"skye" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Skye” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,431 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#18,431
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ellipsis of Isle of Skye, a large island in Scotland.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Skye vs Sy
50% similar
Skye vs spy
25% similar
Skye vs sue
25% similar

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

Key facts for Skye
PropertyValue
HeadwordSkye
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/skaɪ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#18,431
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Skye” 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). Skye 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 Skye is 4 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skaɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,431 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Skye, with forms such as "ksye", "skey", and "skkye". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Sy", "spy", "sue", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Scottish Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, of long disputed (probably non-Indo-European substrate) origin, with several theories proposed and none widely accepted; see Etymology of Skye. The correct English form is Skye, spelled S-K-Y-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ellipsis of Isle of Skye, a large island in Scotland.
  2. 2
    A female given name transferred from the place name, of modern usage, or a fanciful spelling of the word sky.
  3. 3
    A community in The Nation municipality, United Counties of Prescott and Russell, Ontario, Canada.
  4. 4
    An eastern suburb of Adelaide in the City of Burnside, South Australia.
  5. 5
    A southern suburb of Melbourne in the City of Frankston, Victoria, Australia.

Etymology

Derived from Scottish Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, of long disputed (probably non-Indo-European substrate) origin, with several theories proposed and none widely accepted; see Etymology of Skye.

This word in other languages

Skye(Français)Skye(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ksye,skey,skkye,skyye,sskye,syke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ksye2skey2skkye1skyye1sskye1syke2
Edit distance from "Skye"

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 "Skye"?
"Skye" is spelled S-K-Y-E. The IPA pronunciation is /skaɪ/.
What does "Skye" mean?
As a proper noun, "Skye" means: Ellipsis of Isle of Skye, a large island in Scotland.
What words are commonly confused with "Skye"?
"Skye" is commonly confused with "Sy", "spy", "sue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Skye"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Skye" is /skaɪ/. 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 "Skye"?
Derived from Scottish Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, of long disputed (probably non-Indo-European substrate) origin, with several theories proposed and none widely accepted; see Etymology of Skye. 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 “Skye”

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

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