scam

\skam\

/\skam\/ noun

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

The verdict

“scam” is uncommon French (frequency #53,626 among 394,209 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,626
frequency rank, French
394,209
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Arnaque, tromperie, dans le contexte du web et des réseaux sociaux, se dit d’un faux profil/compte/message ayant pour but d’arnaquer ou de tromper les autres utilisateurices.

Key facts for scam
PropertyValue
Headwordscam
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\skam\
Letters4
Frequency rank#53,626
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “scam” sits in French 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). scam lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scam is uncommon French at frequency #53,626 among 394,209 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \skam\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Arnaque, tromperie, dans le contexte du web et des réseaux sociaux, se dit d’un faux profil/compte/message ayant pour but d’arnaquer ou de tromper les autres utilisateurices.".

scam has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is scam, spelled S-C-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Arnaque, tromperie, dans le contexte du web et des réseaux sociaux, se dit d’un faux profil/compte/message ayant pour but d’arnaquer ou de tromper les autres utilisateurices.

Synonyms

arnaquefraudeescroquerie

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scam"?
"scam" is spelled S-C-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is \skam\.
What does "scam" mean?
As a noun, "scam" means: Arnaque, tromperie, dans le contexte du web et des réseaux sociaux, se dit d’un faux profil/compte/message ayant pour but d’arnaquer ou de tromper les autres utilisateurices.
How do you pronounce "scam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scam" is \skam\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "scam" come from?
"scam" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “scam”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-C-A-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \skam\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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