# shut vs smug

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shut
*verb · IPA /ʃʌt/ · frequency rank #1,738*
To close, in various senses.

### smug
*adjective · IPA /smʌɡ/ · frequency rank #19,467*
irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied.

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