fragment; scrap; cut-off piece
Refers to a small leftover piece after cutting something, such as cloth, paper, or wood. Often implies a remnant that is not the main part.
I made a small bag from fabric scraps.
机の上に紙の切れ端が散らばっている。
Scraps of paper are scattered on the desk.
切れ端 is a leftover scrap or fragment of material, while 切れ目 is the cut or gap itself, not a piece cut off.
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common but still encountered.
Formed from 切れ, “a cut-off piece,” and 端, “edge or end,” hence a fragment or scrap.