schmuck

/ˈʃmʌk/

//ˈʃmʌk// noun

"schmuck" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“schmuck” is uncommon English (frequency #51,979 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,979
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A jerk; a person who is unlikable, detestable, or contemptible because they are stupid, foolish, clumsy, oafish, inept, malicious, or unpleasant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-schmuck · schmuck · English

schmuck · rank #51,979 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,979
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scrawled

Nearest frequency peer: scrawled (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “schmuck”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “schmuck” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for schmuck
PropertyValue
Headwordschmuck
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃmʌk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#51,979
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “schmuck” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).schmucklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “scrawled” (#51,980), “scuffed” (#51,981), “sauté” (#51,976). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

schmuck is uncommon English at frequency #51,979 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʃmʌk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

schmuck doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Yiddish שמאָק (shmok, “penis, fool”). The correct English form is schmuck, spelled S-C-H-M-U-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A jerk; a person who is unlikable, detestable, or contemptible because they are stupid, foolish, clumsy, oafish, inept, malicious, or unpleasant.
  2. 2
    A deplorable, pitiful person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. One day my girlfriend, her boyfriend and I were sunbathing topless because that's Barbados - you can wear nothing if you want. And the Pepsi guy walks up and with my agent to meet us for lunch. I wondered if I should put on my top because I have a business relationship with him. I didn't want him to get offended because the rest of the beach had seen me w…
  2. “You’re an asshole whose best friends include Hitler’s wet dream and a Jew.” “Yea, well, I’m only friends with you because I want to shtoop your sister.” “Everybody wants to shtoop your sister,” Craig laughed. “No, everybody wants to shtoop Waters’ sister and you are not shtoopin’ my sister,” Joe replied. “None of you guys are shtooping my sister.” “Yea,…

Etymology

From Yiddish שמאָק (shmok, “penis, fool”).

This word in other languages

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 "schmuck"?
"schmuck" is spelled S-C-H-M-U-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃmʌk/.
What does "schmuck" mean?
As a noun, "schmuck" means: A jerk; a person who is unlikable, detestable, or contemptible because they are stupid, foolish, clumsy, oafish, inept, malicious, or unpleasant.
How do you pronounce "schmuck"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schmuck" is /ˈʃmʌk/. 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 "schmuck"?
From Yiddish שמאָק (shmok, “penis, fool”). 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 "schmuck", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

What to do next

You've looked up "schmuck". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #51,979 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list