smack

/smæk/

//smæk// noun

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

"smack" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“smack” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,327. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,327
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A distinct flavor, especially if slight.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smack · smack · English

smack · rank #12,327 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,327
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shits

Nearest frequency peer: shits (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “smack”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “smack” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

smack vs suck
60% similar
smack vs soak
60% similar
smack vs sock
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for smack
PropertyValue
Headwordsmack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/smæk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,327
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smack”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shits” (#12,326), “sonny” (#12,328), “southwestern” (#12,329). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smack” is #12,327. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around smack (IPA /smæk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,327 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for smack, with forms such as "msack", "samck", and "smacck". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "suck", "soak", "sock", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is from Middle English smac, smak, smacke, from Old English smæc, smæċċ (“taste, smatch”), from Proto-West Germanic *smakku, from Proto-Germanic *smakkuz (“a taste”), from Proto-Indo-European *smegʰ-, *smeg- (“to taste”). The verb is from Middle En… The correct English form is smack, spelled S-M-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A distinct flavor, especially if slight.
  2. 2
    A slight trace of something; a smattering.
  3. 3
    Heroin.
  4. 4
    A form of fried potato; a scallop.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. rice pudding with a smack of cinnamon
  2. I did not call him fool, and vex my friend, / But quietly allowed experiment, / Encouraged him to dust his drink, and now / Grate lignum vitæ now bruise so-called grains / Of Paradise, and now, for perfume, pour / Distilment rare, the rose of Jericho, / Holy-thorn, passion-flower, and what know I? / Till beverage obtained the fancied smack.

Etymology

The noun is from Middle English smac, smak, smacke, from Old English smæc, smæċċ (“taste, smatch”), from Proto-West Germanic *smakku, from Proto-Germanic *smakkuz (“a taste”), from Proto-Indo-European *smegʰ-, *smeg- (“to taste”). The verb is from Middle English smaken. Cognate with English dialectal smatch, Scots smak (“scent, smell, taste, flavour”), Saterland Frisian Smoak (“taste”), West Frisian smaak (“taste”), Dutch smaak (“taste”), German Schmack, Geschmack (“taste”), Danish smag (“taste”), Swedish and Norwegian smak (“taste”), Norwegian smekke . Akin to Old English smæċċan (“to taste, smack”). More at smatch.

This word in other languages

Hauch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msack
  • samck
  • smacck
  • smackk
  • smakc
  • smcak
  • smmack
  • ssmack

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smack - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

msack2samck2smacck1smackk1smakc2smcak2smmack1ssmack1
Edit distance from "smack"

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 "smack"?
"smack" is spelled S-M-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /smæk/.
What does "smack" mean?
As a noun, "smack" means: A distinct flavor, especially if slight.
What words are commonly confused with "smack"?
"smack" is commonly confused with "suck", "soak", "sock". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smack" is /smæk/. 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 "smack"?
The noun is from Middle English smac, smak, smacke, from Old English smæc, smæċċ (“taste, smatch”), from Proto-West Germanic *smakku, from Proto-Germanic *smakkuz (“a taste”), from Proto-Indo-European *smegʰ-, *smeg- (“to taste”). The verb is from... 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 "smack", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shits#12,326sonny#12,328sewer#12,324swell#12,339

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

spared8 variantsserena8 variantsunused8 variantsBecky8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list