Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

skulk

/skʌlk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.89 in modern English

Syllables: skulk
IPA: /skʌlk/

13

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A group of foxes.

noun

A group of people seen as being fox-like (e.g. cunning, dishonest, or having nefarious plans).

noun

The act of skulking.

noun

The act of skulking.

noun

The act of skulking.

noun

One who avoids an obligation or responsibility.

Obsolete

verb

To stay where one cannot be seen, conceal oneself (often in a cowardly way or with the intent of doing harm).

verb

To move in a stealthy or furtive way; to come or go while trying to avoid detection.

Example Sentences

"A skulk of foxes, a cowardice of curs are tonight’s traffic whispering in the yards and lanes."
"A skulk of fox padded daintily over a stream-slashed meadow, and a herd of deer like iron ornaments stood stock still in their winter pelage."
"A group of foxes is called a skulk."
"[…] a skulk of priests flapped out of the Church of San Geronimo, and women kneeling at novena put away their beads […]"
"The law was served by a skulk of informers, who traded their whispers to the royal foresters and woodwards, who gilded their tales for the verderers and regarders, who presented the guilty to the forest Justices."
"[…] they went on, down the road, staggering, and shouldering each other, like a skulk of Jacobean villains."

Etymology

From Middle English sculke, skulke, sculken, of North Germanic origin; compare Danish skulke (“shirk”), Swedish skolka (“play truant”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: sculke, skulke, sculken, -

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

skulks (plural) skulks (present, singular) skulking (participle, present) skulked (participle, past) skulked (past)

Derived Forms

skulker skulkingly

Synonyms

shirk shirker skulker hide sneak steal malinger lurk

Rhymes With

bulk hulk sulk fulk grulke pulk

Questions

How do you pronounce skulk?: The recorded pronunciation is /skʌlk/.
What does skulk mean?: A group of foxes.
Where does skulk come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce skulk

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