# smell

> English word · Noun · IPA /smɛl/ · frequency rank #3,086

## Definitions
1. A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.
2. The sense that detects odours.
3. A conclusion or intuition that a situation is wrong, more complex than it seems, or otherwise inappropriate.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *smel-
Proto-West Germanic *smalljan
Old English *smiellan
Middle English smellen
English smell
From Middle English smellen, smillen, smyllen, smullen, from Old English *smyllan, *smiellan (“to smell, emit fumes”), from Proto-West Germanic *smallijan (“to glow, burn, smoulder”), from Proto-Indo-European *smel- (“to burn, smoke, smoulder; tar, pitch”). The noun is from Middle English smel, smil, smul (“smell, odour”). Related to Saterland Frisian smeele (“to smoulder”), Middle Dutch smōlen (“to burn, smoulder”) (whence Dutch smeulen (“to smoulder”)), Middle Low German smölen (“to be hazy, be dusty”) (whence Low German smölen (“smoulder”)), Low German smullen (“emit smoke”), West Flemish smoel (“stuffy, muggy, hazy”), Danish smul (“dust, powder”), Lithuanian smilkyti (“to incense, fumigate”), Lithuanian smilkti (“to smudge, smolder, fume, reek”), Lithuanian smalkinti (“to fume”), Middle Irish smál, smól, smúal (“fire, gleed, embers, ashes”), Russian смола́ (smolá, “resin, tar”). Compare smoulder, smother.

## Easily confused with
- **still** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-still)
- **steel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-steel)
- **smile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-smile)
- **steal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-steal)
- **spell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-spell)
- **spill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-spill)
- **stall** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-stall)
- **swell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-swell)
- **spelt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-spelt)
- **smelt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-smelt)
- **snell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-snell)
- **Stoll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-stoll)
- **stella** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-stella)
- **smelly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-smelly)
- **smelled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smell-vs-smelled)
- **SME** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sme-vs-smell)
- **Sel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sel-vs-smell)
- **self** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/self-vs-smell)
- **sell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sell-vs-smell)
- **seal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seal-vs-smell)

## Common misspellings (6)
`msell`, `semll`, `smel`, `smlel`, `smmell`, `ssmell`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/smell