# sire vs smile

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### sire
*noun · IPA /saɪə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #16,586*
A lord, master, or other person in authority, most commonly used vocatively: formerly in speaking to elders and superiors, later only when addressing a sovereign.

### smile
*noun · IPA /ˈsmaɪl/ · frequency rank #2,316*
A facial expression comprised by flexing the muscles of both ends of one's mouth, often showing the front teeth, without vocalisation, and in humans is a common involuntary or voluntary expression of happiness, pleasure, amusement, goodwill, or anxiety.

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