# smile

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsmaɪl/ · frequency rank #2,316

## Definitions
1. A facial expression comprised by flexing the muscles of both ends of one's mouth, often showing the front teeth, without vocalisation, and in humans is a common involuntary or voluntary expression of happiness, pleasure, amusement, goodwill, or anxiety.
2. Favour; propitious regard.
3. A drink bought by one person for another.

## Etymology
From Middle English smilen (“to smile”), from Middle Low German *smîlen (“to smile”), from Middle High German smielen, from Old High German smielēn, from Proto-West Germanic *smīlēn, from Proto-Germanic *smīlāną (“to smile”), from Proto-Indo-European *smey- (“to laugh, be glad, wonder”).
Cognate with Danish smile, Swedish smila, Faroese smíla (“to smile”); also Saterland Frisian smielje (“to smile”), Low German smielen (“to smile”), Dutch smuilen (“to smile”), Middle High German smielen (“to smile”). Related also to Old High German smierōn (“to smile”), Old English smerian (“to laugh at”), Old English smercian, smearcian ("to smile"; > English smirk), Latin mīror (“to wonder at”).

## Easily confused with
- **soil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-soil)
- **sole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-sole)
- **still** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-still)
- **style** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-style)
- **smith** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-smith)
- **smoke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-smoke)
- **stole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-stole)
- **suite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-suite)
- **spite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-spite)
- **spike** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-spike)
- **spice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-spice)
- **spine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-spine)
- **spill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-spill)
- **swipe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-swipe)
- **swine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-swine)
- **stale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-stale)
- **spire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-spire)
- **smirk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-smirk)
- **snipe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-snipe)
- **smite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smile-vs-smite)

## Common misspellings (7)
`msile`, `simle`, `smiel`, `smille`, `smlie`, `smmile`, `ssmile`

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