Pronunciation: [skˈɪtəd] (IPA) 
The word "skittered" is spelled with two syllables and is pronounced as /ˈskɪtərd/. The first syllable 'skit' sounds like the word 'kit', followed by the 'terd' sound. The letter 'e' in the word signifies the past tense of the word, which means to move quickly and lightly across a surface. The pronunciation of this word puts stress on the first syllable, which makes it sound fast and energetic.
The term "skittered" is a verb that is primarily used to describe the quick, light, and often erratic movement exhibited by small objects or living creatures. When an object or creature skitters, it moves rapidly and with a series of short, quick movements in a seemingly random or unpredictable manner.
For instance, it is commonly used in the context of small animals such as insects, spiders, rodents, or even crustaceans, which display a characteristic skittering behavior. They often move swiftly and sporadically, darting from one place to another, making sudden changes in direction, or scampering across surfaces. The term can also be applied to objects, especially lightweight ones, that are pushed, blown, or otherwise propelled and move rapidly, only to come to rest again in a short span of time.
The word "skittered" conveys a sense of agility, speed, and skittishness, as the action it describes is typically associated with creatures or objects evading predators or reacting to external stimuli. Furthermore, it implies a lack of smoothness or grace in the movement, portraying a sense of unpredictability or nervousness.
Overall, "skittered" is a versatile term that is predominantly used to depict the rapid and fidgety movement of small objects or living beings, evoking images of agility, unpredictability, and quick reflexes.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "skittered" is derived from the word "skitter".
The etymology of "skitter" can be traced back to Middle English, where it originally appeared as "skiteren". This Middle English term comes from the Old Norse word "skjóta", which means "to shoot" or "to run rapidly". Over time, the meaning of "skitter" evolved to describe the movement of objects or creatures with quick, light, and skittish movements.
The transformation from "skitter" to "skittered" occurs through the addition of the suffix "-ed", which is used to form the past tense and past participle of many English verbs. Hence, "skittered" refers to the past action of something moving with a quick, rapid, and skittish motion.
