starkers

/ˈstɑːkəz/

//ˈstɑːkəz// adj

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

The verdict

“starkers” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Completely nude.

Corpus desk

Index EN-starkers · starkers · English

starkers · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for starkers
PropertyValue
Headwordstarkers
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈstɑːkəz/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “starkers” in English

starkersfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

starkers is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈstɑːkəz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for starkers in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: * "naked": British slang, from 1923, combining (like a popular etymology) two meanings of stark (“strong, utterly; barren”) with stark naked, which is from Old English steort (“tail”), referring to the tail-end (as in butt-naked). * "crazy": stark (“shorten… The correct English form is starkers, spelled S-T-A-R-K-E-R-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Completely nude.
  2. 2
    Stark raving mad.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Entering the bathroom, I found Bill there, still starkers after his bath.

Etymology

* "naked": British slang, from 1923, combining (like a popular etymology) two meanings of stark (“strong, utterly; barren”) with stark naked, which is from Old English steort (“tail”), referring to the tail-end (as in butt-naked). * "crazy": stark (“shortening of stark raving mad”) + -ers

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "starkers"?
"starkers" is spelled S-T-A-R-K-E-R-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɑːkəz/.
What does "starkers" mean?
As an adjective, "starkers" means: Completely nude.
How do you pronounce "starkers"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "starkers" is /ˈstɑːkəz/. 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 "starkers"?
* "naked": British slang, from 1923, combining (like a popular etymology) two meanings of stark (“strong, utterly; barren”) with stark naked, which is from Old English steort (“tail”), referring to the tail-end (as in butt-naked). * "crazy": stark... 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list