besmirch

/bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/

//bɪˈsmɜːtʃ// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"besmirch" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“besmirch” is uncommon English (frequency #94,587 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,587
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make dirty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-besmirch · besmirch · English

besmirch · rank #94,587 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,587
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bermudian

Nearest frequency peer: Bermudian (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “besmirch”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “besmirch” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for besmirch
PropertyValue
Headwordbesmirch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#94,587
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “besmirch” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).besmirchfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Bermudian” (#94,586), “Bhavani” (#94,589), “Bhima” (#94,590). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “besmirch” is #94,587. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

besmirch is uncommon English at frequency #94,587 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for besmirch in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid). Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”). By surface analysis, be- + smirch. The correct English form is besmirch, spelled B-E-S-M-I-R-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make dirty.
  2. 2
    To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how besmirch appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.
  2. Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirch'd With rainy marching in the painful field

Etymology

From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid). Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”). By surface analysis, be- + smirch.

This word in other languages

ensuciar(Español)salir(Français)beschmutzen(Deutsch)sujar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "besmirch"?
"besmirch" is spelled B-E-S-M-I-R-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/.
What does "besmirch" mean?
As a verb, "besmirch" means: To make dirty.
How do you pronounce "besmirch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "besmirch" is /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "besmirch"?
From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid). Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”). By surface analysis, be- + smirch. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "besmirch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Belfield#94,579bayfront#94,573ballsack#94,560braising#94,621

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list