smear

/smɪə(ɹ)/

//smɪə(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“smear” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,912. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,912
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smear · smear · English

smear · rank #15,912 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,912
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sleeper

Nearest frequency peer: sleeper (-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 “smear”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smear” 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).

smear vs star
60% similar
smear vs soar
60% similar
smear vs spar
60% similar

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

Key facts for smear
PropertyValue
Headwordsmear
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/smɪə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,912
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smear”

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).smearlands 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 “sleeper” (#15,911), “snowy” (#15,913), “slater” (#15,910). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smear” is #15,912. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around smear (IPA /smɪə(ɹ)/), averb. Corpus frequency is #15,912 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for smear, with forms such as "msear", "semar", and "smaer". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "star", "soar", "spar", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English smeren, smerien, from Old English smerian, smyrian, smierwan (“to anoint or rub with grease, oil, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic *smirwijaną. Doublet of schmear. Cognate with Saterland Frisian smeere, Du… The correct English form is smear, spelled S-M-E-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.
  2. 2
    To cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing.
  3. 3
    To make something dirty.
  4. 4
    (of a substance, etc.) To make a surface dirty by covering it.
  5. 5
    To damage someone's reputation by slandering, misrepresenting, or otherwise making false accusations about them, their statements, or their actions.
  6. 6
    To cause (something) to be messy or not clear by rubbing and spreading it.
  7. 7
    To become messy or not clear by being spread.
  8. 8
    To write or draw (something) by spreading a substance on a surface.
  9. 9
    To cause (something) to be a particular colour by covering with a substance.
  10. 10
    To rub (a body part, etc.) across a surface.
  11. 11
    To attempt to remove (a substance) from a surface by rubbing.
  12. 12
    To climb without using footholds, using the friction from the shoe to stay on the wall.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The artist smeared paint over the canvas in broad strokes.
  2. In general, all bodies whose surfaces are even will […] stick to each other, and if a liquid be smeared over either surface, their cohesion will be still the stronger.

Etymology

From Middle English smeren, smerien, from Old English smerian, smyrian, smierwan (“to anoint or rub with grease, oil, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic *smirwijaną. Doublet of schmear. Cognate with Saterland Frisian smeere, Dutch smeren, Low German smeren, German schmieren.

This word in other languages

manchar(Español)badigeonner(Français)schmieren(Deutsch)lambuzar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msear
  • semar
  • smaer
  • smearr
  • smera
  • smmear
  • ssmear

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

msear2semar2smaer2smearr1smera2smmear1ssmear1
Edit distance from "smear"

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 "smear"?
"smear" is spelled S-M-E-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /smɪə(ɹ)/.
What does "smear" mean?
As a verb, "smear" means: To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.
What words are commonly confused with "smear"?
"smear" is commonly confused with "star", "soar", "spar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smear"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smear" is /smɪə(ɹ)/. 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 "smear"?
From Middle English smeren, smerien, from Old English smerian, smyrian, smierwan (“to anoint or rub with grease, oil, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic *smirwijaną. Doublet of schmear. Cognate with Saterland Frisian ... 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 "smear", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

snowy#15,913siren#15,909stalk#15,919stink#15,922

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

swine7 variantspenal7 variantsNYPD7 variantsgrail7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list