# salt vs smelt

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### salt
*noun · IPA /sɒlt/ · frequency rank #2,499*
A common substance, chemically consisting mainly of sodium chloride (NaCl), used extensively as a food ingredient, seasoning, condiment, and preservative.

### smelt
*noun · IPA /smɛlt/ · frequency rank #29,468*
Any small anadromous fish of the family Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in lakes in North America and northern part of Europe.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/salt-vs-smelt