smirch
/smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/noun
smirch is spelled S-M-I-R-C-H: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 69 million words in written English, the 262,293rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, smirch means “A chirp of radiation power from an astronomical body that has a smeared appearance on its plot in the time-frequency plane (usually associated with…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of smirch is smirches.
How many letters and syllables are in smirch?
| Letters | 6: S-M-I-R-C-H |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 69 million words; the 262,293rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is smirch?
Smirch appears about once in every 69 million words in written English, the 262,293rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce smirch?
- /smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-smirch.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with smirch?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as smirch.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: chrism.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of smirch
- smirches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- smurch
- smerch
- smirching participle, present
- smirched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does smirch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A chirp of radiation power from an astronomical body that has a smeared appearance on its plot in the time-frequency plane (usually associated with massive bodies orbiting supermassive black holes)
- 2
archaicDirt, or a stain.
- 3
archaicA stain on somebody's reputation.
verb
- 1
archaicTo dirty; to make dirty.
- 2
archaicTo harm the reputation of; to smear or slander.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Smirch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to dirty:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | salir |
| German | beschmutzen, verschmutzen |
| Spanish | ensuciar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does smirch come from?
Blend of smear + chirp.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).