smaller

/ˈsmɔː.lə/

//ˈsmɔː.lə// adj

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

The verdict

“smaller” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,674. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,674
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - comparative form of small: more small

Corpus desk

Index EN-smaller · smaller · English

smaller · rank #1,674 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,674
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH senate

Nearest frequency peer: senate (-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 “smaller”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smaller” 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).

smaller vs smalls
71% similar
smaller vs smarter
71% similar
smaller vs smelled
71% similar

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

Key facts for smaller
PropertyValue
Headwordsmaller
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsmɔː.lə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,674
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smaller”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “senate” (#1,673), “somebody” (#1,675), “remains” (#1,672). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smaller” is #1,674. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around smaller (IPA /ˈsmɔː.lə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,674 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "comparative form of small: more small".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for smaller, with forms such as "msaller", "samller", and "smalelr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "smalls", "smarter", "smelled", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is smaller, spelled S-M-A-L-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    comparative form of small: more small

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The worse things get, the smaller your focus should be.
  2. At the partition of Ireland in 1920, the railway mileage of the whole country stood at its maximum figure of 3,442, of which 2,668 miles were in the South, and 754 in the much smaller North.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msaller
  • samller
  • smalelr
  • smaler
  • smallerr
  • smallre
  • smlaler
  • smmaller
  • ssmaller

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smaller - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

msaller2samller2smalelr2smaler1smallerr1smallre2smlaler2smmaller1
Edit distance from "smaller"

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 "smaller"?
"smaller" is spelled S-M-A-L-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmɔː.lə/.
What does "smaller" mean?
As an adjective, "smaller" means: comparative form of small: more small
What words are commonly confused with "smaller"?
"smaller" is commonly confused with "smalls", "smarter", "smelled". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smaller"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smaller" is /ˈsmɔː.lə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "smaller" come from?
"smaller" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "smaller", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list