Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

skrike

/skɹaɪk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: skrike
IPA: /skɹaɪk/

14

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cry, sob, cry out or yell; to scream.

British usage

noun

A cry or scream.

British usage

noun

The mistle thrush.

British usage

Example Sentences

"The yells and yammering, croaking, jibbering and jabbering; howls, growls and curses; shrieking and skriking, that followed were beyond description."
"It's not as if you're skriking brats."
"c''' 1573, attested by J. Raine at what tyme the said Herrison wyfe gave a skrike."
"Aw gav a skrike."

Etymology

From Middle English skriken, a borrowing from Old Norse skríkja (“to scream”) (compare Old English sċrīċ, sċrēċ > English shriek/screech), literally "bird with a shrill call," referring to a thrush, possibly imitative of its call. Attested from c 1573.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: skriken, skríkja, skrike

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

skrikes (present, singular) skriking (participle, present) skriked (participle, past) skriked (past) skrikes (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

shrike

Questions

How do you pronounce skrike?: The recorded pronunciation is /skɹaɪk/.
What does skrike mean?: To cry, sob, cry out or yell; to scream.
Where does skrike come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce skrike

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