Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

skell

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.80 in modern English

Syllables
skell
IPA
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

a homeless person, especially one who sleeps in the New York subway.

American usage; Slang

noun

A male suspicious person or crime suspect, especially a street person such as a drug dealer, pimp or panhandler.

American usage; Slang

verb

To fall off or fall over.

Intransitive verb; Slang

Example Sentences

Etymology

* Perhaps from skeleton, describing the often skeletal appearance of drug users. * Alternatively, from skellum or skelder ("to beg in the streets"). Used by Ben Jonson, 1599. * In the sense of a suspicious person, popularized by the American TV police drama NYPD Blue.

Usage

Inflected Forms

skells (plural) skel (alternative) skells (present, singular) skelling (participle, present) skelled (participle, past) skelled (past)

Rhymes With

well as well tell hell lol sell hotel cell fell bell el personnel

Questions

What does skell mean?
a homeless person, especially one who sleeps in the New York subway.
Where does skell come from?
* Perhaps from skeleton, describing the often skeletal appearance of drug users. * Alternatively, from skellum or skelder ("to beg in the streets"). Used by Ben Jonson, 1599. * In the sense of a suspicious person, popularized by the American TV police drama NYPD Blue.

How to pronounce skell

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “skell”.
  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 “skell”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “skell” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.