smashing

/ˈsmæʃɪŋ/

//ˈsmæʃɪŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“smashing” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,967. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,967
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Serving to smash (something).

Corpus desk

Index EN-smashing · smashing · English

smashing · rank #11,967 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,967
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SMS

Nearest frequency peer: SMS (+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 “smashing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smashing” 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).

smashing vs splashing
78% similar
smashing vs slashing
88% similar
smashing vs smacking
75% similar

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

Key facts for smashing
PropertyValue
Headwordsmashing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsmæʃɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,967
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smashing”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).smashinglands 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 “SMS” (#11,968), “shove” (#11,965), “soaked” (#11,970). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smashing” is #11,967. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around smashing (IPA /ˈsmæʃɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,967 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for smashing, with forms such as "msashing", "samshing", and "smahsing". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "splashing", "slashing", "smacking", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From smash + -ing. As a synonym for wonderful, the term first appeared in the United States in the early twentieth century, and possibly derives from the sense of smash used in smash hit and similar terms. Popular folk etymology connects the term to the bro… The correct English form is smashing, spelled S-M-A-S-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Serving to smash (something).
  2. 2
    Wonderful, very good or impressive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The boxer delivered a smashing blow to his opponent's head.
  2. We had a smashing time at the zoo.

Etymology

From smash + -ing. As a synonym for wonderful, the term first appeared in the United States in the early twentieth century, and possibly derives from the sense of smash used in smash hit and similar terms. Popular folk etymology connects the term to the broadly homophonous Irish is maith sin or Scottish Gaelic 's math sin ("that is good"), but this has been described as "improbable", and does not appear in the etymological dictionaries.

This word in other languages

excelente(Español)sensass(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msashing
  • samshing
  • smahsing
  • smashhing
  • smashign
  • smashingg
  • smashinng
  • smashnig
  • smasihng
  • smasshing
  • smmashing
  • smsahing
  • ssmashing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smashing - 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.

msashing2samshing2smahsing2smashhing1smashign2smashingg1smashinng1smashnig2
Edit distance from "smashing"

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 "smashing"?
"smashing" is spelled S-M-A-S-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmæʃɪŋ/.
What does "smashing" mean?
As an adjective, "smashing" means: Serving to smash (something).
What words are commonly confused with "smashing"?
"smashing" is commonly confused with "splashing", "slashing", "smacking". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smashing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smashing" is /ˈsmæʃɪŋ/. 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 "smashing"?
From smash + -ing. As a synonym for wonderful, the term first appeared in the United States in the early twentieth century, and possibly derives from the sense of smash used in smash hit and similar terms. Popular folk etymology connects the term ... 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 "smashing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

softball#11,971screened#11,962Santiago#11,959stumbled#11,979

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

saturated13 variantstangible13 variantspronounce13 variantsversatile13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list