skiff

\skif\

/\skif\/ noun

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

The verdict

“skiff” is uncommon French (frequency #91,176 among 394,209 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,176
frequency rank, French
394,209
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Bateau assez léger pour générer une vague de sillage et la dépasser en passant au déjaugeage.

Key facts for skiff
PropertyValue
Headwordskiff
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\skif\
Letters5
Frequency rank#91,176
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “skiff” 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). skiff 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

skiff is uncommon French at frequency #91,176 among 394,209 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \skif\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

skiff has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is skiff, spelled S-K-I-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bateau assez léger pour générer une vague de sillage et la dépasser en passant au déjaugeage.
  2. 2
    La plupart des dériveurs apparus après les années 1990 et possédant un spinnaker asymétrique.
  3. 3
    Embarcation annexe d’un thonier senneur congélateur, utilisé pour maintenir la senne lorsque le thonier fait le cercle autour du poisson.
  4. 4
    Embarcation pour une personne, longue et fine, utilisée en aviron.
  5. 5
    Au début du XX^(ème) siècle, type de carrosserie (souvent en bois) copié sur les bateaux du même nom.

This word in other languages

skiff(English)

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 "skiff"?
"skiff" is spelled S-K-I-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is \skif\.
What does "skiff" mean?
As a noun, "skiff" means: Bateau assez léger pour générer une vague de sillage et la dépasser en passant au déjaugeage.
How do you pronounce "skiff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skiff" is \skif\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "skiff" come from?
"skiff" 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 “skiff”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-K-I-F-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \skif\ (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