smallest

/ˈsmɔː.lɪst/

//ˈsmɔː.lɪst// adj

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

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

The verdict

“smallest” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,063. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,063
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-smallest · smallest · English

smallest · rank #7,063 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,063
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Simpson

Nearest frequency peer: Simpson (-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 “smallest”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smallest” 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).

smallest vs smalls
75% similar
smallest vs smaller
75% similar

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

Key facts for smallest
PropertyValue
Headwordsmallest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsmɔː.lɪst/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,063
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smallest”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).smallestlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Simpson” (#7,062), “specially” (#7,064), “stark” (#7,065). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smallest” is #7,063. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around smallest (IPA /ˈsmɔː.lɪst/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,063 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "superlative form of small: most small".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for smallest, with forms such as "msallest", "samllest", and "smalelst". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "smalls", "smaller", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is smallest, spelled S-M-A-L-L-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    superlative form of small: most small

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msallest
  • samllest
  • smalelst
  • smalest
  • smallesst
  • smallestt
  • smallets
  • smallset
  • smlalest
  • smmallest
  • ssmallest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smallest - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

msallest2samllest2smalelst2smalest1smallesst1smallestt1smallets2smallset2
Edit distance from "smallest"

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 "smallest"?
"smallest" is spelled S-M-A-L-L-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmɔː.lɪst/.
What does "smallest" mean?
As an adjective, "smallest" means: superlative form of small: most small
What words are commonly confused with "smallest"?
"smallest" is commonly confused with "smalls", "smaller". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smallest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smallest" is /ˈsmɔː.lɪst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "smallest" come from?
"smallest" 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 "smallest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sympathy#7,067secretly#7,056musician#7,032formally#7,011

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Simpson11 variantsnotably11 variantsMalcolm11 variantscamping11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list