schroff

\ʃʁɔf\

/\ʃʁɔf\/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rude, raide, escarpé, abrupt.

Corpus desk

Index FR-schroff · schroff · French

schroff · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 schroff
PropertyValue
Headwordschroff
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʃʁɔf\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « schroff » en français

schroffsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

schroff is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ʃʁɔf\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

schroff doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. 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.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is schroff, spelled S-C-H-R-O-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rude, raide, escarpé, abrupt.
  2. 2
    Inamical, rude, peu aimable.
  3. 3
    Abrupt, brusque, heurté.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Wir mussten ziemlich schroffe Felsen überwinden.
  2. Detlef hat Emma seine Gefühle gestanden, aber Emma hat ihm eine ziemlich schroffe Absage erteilt.

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 "schroff"?
"schroff" is spelled S-C-H-R-O-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃʁɔf\.
What does "schroff" mean?
As an adjective, "schroff" means: Rude, raide, escarpé, abrupt.
How do you pronounce "schroff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schroff" is \ʃʁɔf\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schroff" come from?
"schroff" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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