Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

scratch by

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.16 in modern English

Syllables: scratch -by
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To get by; to make ends meet.

Example Sentences

"It all works great for Walmart or the food-service company, but for people like Gina and her friend Nicole, it means they can barely scratch by."

Etymology

From scratch + by.

Inflected Forms

scratches by (present, singular) scratching by (participle, present) scratched by (participle, past) scratched by (past)

Synonyms

scrape by

Questions

What does scratch by mean?: To get by; to make ends meet.
Where does scratch by come from?: From scratch + by.

How to pronounce scratch by

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “scratch by”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “scratch by”.
Repeat and practice — Say “scratch by” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.