How to pronounce scab
Say it like SKAB. Scab is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce scab. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SKAB
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Scab pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SKABSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of scab
American and British speakers say scab in essentially the same way: /skæb/ in the US and /skæb/ in the UK.
British respelling: SKAB.
What does scab mean?
- To become covered by a scab or scabs.
- To form into scabs and be shed, as damaged or diseased skin.
- To remove part of a surface (from).
- An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed during healing.
- The mange, especially when it appears on sheep.
- Any of several different diseases of potatoes producing pits and other damage on their surface, caused by streptomyces bacteria (but formerly believed to be caused by a fungus).
Where does scab come from?
From Middle English scabb, scabbe (also as shabbe, schabbe > English shab), from Old English sċeabb and Old Norse skabb, both from Proto-Germanic *skabbaz (“scab, scabies”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, carve, shape”).
Words that rhyme with scab
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of scab.
Questions about saying scab
How do you pronounce scab?
Say SKAB. The American pronunciation is /skæb/. In British English it is /skæb/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in scab?
Scab is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SKAB.
Do Americans and Brits say scab the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /skæb/ and the British form is /skæb/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.