Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

scuff

/skʌf/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.45 in modern English

Syllables: scuff
IPA: /skʌf/

13

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To scrape the feet while walking.

verb

To scrape and roughen the surface of (shoes, etc.)

verb

To hit lightly, to brush against.

verb

To mishit (a shot on a ball) due to poor contact with the ball.

verb

Synonym of scrub in (“To break in new racing tires by doing a few gentle laps on them, with the resulting heat serving to remove factory coatings and provide better grip.”)

noun

A mark left by scuffing or scraping.

noun

The sound of a scuff or scrape.

noun

Australian usage; New Zealand usage

Example Sentences

"The lawns and gardens had been scuffed away."
"Wallace threw himself at it to connect with a flying header. He looked a certain scorer but his effort scuffed the inside of Fraser Forster’s post."
"The Montenegro captain was finding space at will and followed up with a speculative shot that he scuffed wide, after Wales were slow in closing down the Juventus striker."
"Someone left scuff marks in the sand."
"He flung his shoes across the room, their soles leaving black scuffs on the dingy wall."
"All you could hear was the rhythmic scuff of Mr. Stink’s battered brogues as he walked slowly along the road"

Etymology

From Scots scuff (“to touch lightly, graze, hit”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old Norse skúfa (“to shove, push aside”), from Proto-Germanic *skeubaną (“to shove”). Or, perhaps imitative. More at shove.

Origin

Source language: Old Norse

Word Breakdown

Root: scuff, skúfa, *skeubaną

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /skʌf/
British English: /skʌf/

Usage

Inflected Forms

scuffs (present, singular) scuffing (participle, present) scuffed (participle, past) scuffed (past) scuffs (plural)

Phrases

scuff up scuff mark

Frequently Paired Words

scuffle scuffed scud scoff scruff

Synonyms

scrub in mule drag

Rhymes With

enough stuff tough rough buff bluff puff cuff duff fluff snuff huff

Questions

How do you pronounce scuff?: The recorded pronunciation is /skʌf/.
What does scuff mean?: To scrape the feet while walking.
Where does scuff come from?: It is traced to Old Norse.

How to pronounce scuff

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