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I've looked up the words in a bunch of dictionaries and each one says something
different. As I understand they're a kind of synonyms.

I scanned the article for his name. - meaning, I read it quickly to find a his
name?
I scanned the article - meaning, there's no information about what I looked for but
still I looked for something particular such as a name, not just I read it
quickly ?
I skimmed the article - meaning, I just read it quickly?
I skimmed the article to find his name - The structure of the sentence (mainly the
prepositional phrase) comes into play and now it means the same as the first
example?
Am I wrong? They're just synonyms?

differences
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edited Aug 22 '15 at 10:30

Edwin Ashworth
43.3k472129
asked Aug 14 '13 at 14:22

Dunno
3662516

I think a big factor here is the development of scanning technology, along with the
specialization of that word ("scan") to refer more and more to actions using that
sort of technology. Computer scanning is (ideally) completely thorough, so it's
possible that the sentiment of cursory-ness previously held by "scan" is
increasingly diminished thereby. FWIW, out of your examples, I find only #1 and #3
to be natural. Tyler James Young Aug 14 '13 at 14:35

The situation with "scan" is similar to that of "peruse." If you scan a line of
poetry, you are looking at it carefully, and before computers poetry was the sort
of stuff you were likely to scan. Similarly, the "per" in "peruse" meant through,
but the meaning of peruse seems to be moving toward "skim." I think young and old
agree on the meaning of skim, but old timers like me altercate for the old meanings
of scan and peruse. Of course, we lose. Airymouse Sep 8 '16 at 17:58
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4 Answers
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In many cases, the meaning will be indistinguishable, but there might also be
subtle differences in the intention or the interpretation, revolving around
associations with the act of either "scanning" or "skimming".

I scanned the article for his name.

implies that I looked across the lines of text using a scanning, sweeping method
with the sole aim of locating a reference to his name, rather than interpreting any
of the information in the article.

I scanned the article.

implies that I glanced through the entire article using a scanning, sweeping
method, reading across the lines of text. The aim is not specified, but you can
assume that I was looking for important information within the article without
reading it fully. I might also be implying that I read it all very quickly, and
therefore not thoroughly. I might also be implying that I read it very efficiently,
like a scanning machine.

I skimmed the the article.

implies that I glanced through the entire article using a skimming, superficial
method, like skimming a stone across water. The aim is not specified, but you can
assume that I was looking for interesting information within the article without
bothering to read it fully, or not in a regimental fashion. I might be implying
that I skipped over large parts of the article, and therefore might have missed
some detail.

I skimmed the article to find his name.

implies that I looked across the lines of text using a skimming, superficial method
with the sole aim of locating a reference to his name, rather than interpreting any
of the information in the article.

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answered Aug 14 '13 at 15:30

user1134789
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Originally to scan meant to examine something closely. When reading a text you
scanned it carefully in order to find the relevant information you were searching
for. A much different task from skimming a text in order to get the gist of its
topic or subject matter. The original meaning is still used today but it is
becoming rarer, as scan and skim have almost become synonymous with one another. In
fact, many native speakers are unaware of any significant differences between the
two words.

Cambridge ESOL has seen fit to post a PDF document explaining the difference
between to scan and to skim. (Emphasis mine.)

Skimming and scanning are two different reading skills. Skimming means looking at a
text or chapter quickly in order to have a general idea of the contents. Scanning
means looking at a text to find some particular information. For example, we skim
through a report to have a rough idea of what it says but we scan a page of the
telephone directory to find a particular name or number. Skimming requires a
greater degree of reading and word recognition skills as it involves a more
thorough understanding of the text. Scanning to find a particular piece of
information can be achieved successfully by relatively poor readers and is
therefore a very satisfying achievement for those daunted by texts in a foreign
language.
From Online Etymology Dictionary
To scan

late 14c., "mark off verse in metric feet," from Late Latin scandere "to scan
verse," originally, in classical Latin, "to climb" (the connecting notion is of the
rising and falling rhythm of poetry), from PIE *skand- "to spring, leap" (cf.
Sanskrit skandati "hastens, leaps, jumps;" Greek skandalon "stumbling block;"
Middle Irish sescaind "he sprang, jumped," sceinm "a bound, jump"). Missing -d in
English is probably from confusion with suffix -ed (see lawn (n.1)). Sense of "look
at closely, examine" first recorded 1540s. The (opposite) sense of "look over
quickly, skim" is first attested 1926. The noun is recorded from 1706.
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edited Sep 1 '13 at 18:03
answered Aug 15 '13 at 0:57

Mari-Lou A
51.4k32162358
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Depending on your context and meaning, they can be used to the same effect.
Scanning can implies a systemic examination, looking for a pattern and/or some
interpretation of content: "The script scans forums for email addresses." Skimming
implies minimal effort; to skim means to glide over a surface, for example: "The
bug skimmed across the pond."

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/scanning http://www.thefreedictionary.com/skimming

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answered Aug 14 '13 at 14:37

satyrwilder
1966
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Though scamming and skimming look alike but they are not the same . Scamming means
doing a very fast reading to identity a particular line or text in a passage. For
instance 1. scamming can be done when searching for a particular name in a text. In
the above example, the reader does not focus on the main idea of the whole passage
but his/her emphasis is on where exactly to identity the name being looked for.
2.Scamming can also be done when looking for a telephone number in a text.

On the other hand, Skimming is a thorough reading to get a gist about a text or
paragraph. The main reason for skimming is just to get a general idea about a text.
For instance 1.Skimming can be done when the reader want to locate a particular
paragraph in a whole text. Though read thoroughly through the entire passage but
stops when he identity the paragraph he is looking for. Note very well that a
thorough reading is done to get a general idea about a text during skimming.

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edited Sep 8 '16 at 14:19
answered Sep 8 '16 at 14:03

kitison eduful donkor

92

Welcome to ELU. Please re-read your answer: scamming is not at all the same as
scanning. Also, commas and full-stops are always followed by a space. And you may
want to break the paragraphs up a bit more or use the numbered-list which Markdown
provides. Andrew Leach? Sep 8 '16 at 14:07
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