Which to use
“smell” and “smile” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,086
- “smell” frequency rank
- #2,316
- “smile” frequency rank
- 5402
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | smell | smile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance. | 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. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set smell and smile apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
smell and smile form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5402, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
smell is recorded at frequency rank #3,086, classified as anoun, pronounced /smɛl/. smile is at rank #2,316, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsmaɪl/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 5402, this pair ranks #515,476 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "smell" and "smile" be used interchangeably?
Remembering smell vs smile
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “smell” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable