# shut vs smut

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### smut
*noun · IPA /smʌt/ · frequency rank #34,290*
Soot.

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