Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

scratch someone's back

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.93 in modern English

Syllables
scratch -some-one's back
IPA
36
Scrabble Score
19
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To do someone a favour.

Informal

Usage

Inflected Forms

scratches someone's back (present, singular) scratching someone's back (participle, present) scratched someone's back (participle, past) scratched someone's back (past)

Phrases

you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours green handshake pay-to-play quid pro quo

Frequently Paired Words

backscratcher backscratching you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours green handshake pay-to-play quid pro quo

Questions

What does scratch someone's back mean?
To do someone a favour.

How to pronounce scratch someone's back

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