smite

/smaɪt/

//smaɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“smite” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,767. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,767
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 hit; to strike.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smite · smite · English

smite · rank #31,767 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,767
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH smartly

Nearest frequency peer: smartly (-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 “smite”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smite” 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).

smite vs SMT
0% similar
smite vs suit
60% similar
smite vs spit
60% similar

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

Key facts for smite
PropertyValue
Headwordsmite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/smaɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#31,767
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smite”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).smitelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “smartly” (#31,766), “SMT” (#31,768), “sleeved” (#31,765). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smite” is #31,767. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around smite (IPA /smaɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #31,767 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for smite, with forms such as "msite", "simte", and "smiet". 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, "SMT", "suit", "spit", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English smiten, from Old English smītan (“to daub, smear, smudge; soil, defile, pollute”), from Proto-West Germanic *smītan, from Proto-Germanic *smītaną (“to sling; throw; smear”), from Proto-Indo-European *smeyd- (“to smear, whisk, strike, rub… The correct English form is smite, spelled S-M-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hit; to strike.
  2. 2
    To strike down or kill with godly force.
  3. 3
    To injure with divine power.
  4. 4
    To kill violently; to slay.
  5. 5
    To put to rout in battle; to overthrow by war.
  6. 6
    To afflict; to chasten; to punish.
  7. 7
    To strike with love or infatuation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
  2. That elf-maiden smote with her hand so white, “Sorrow and sickness on thee alight” That elf-maiden smote with her cap so small, “No more shall priest's benison on thee fall!”

Etymology

From Middle English smiten, from Old English smītan (“to daub, smear, smudge; soil, defile, pollute”), from Proto-West Germanic *smītan, from Proto-Germanic *smītaną (“to sling; throw; smear”), from Proto-Indo-European *smeyd- (“to smear, whisk, strike, rub”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian smiete (“to throw, toss”), West Frisian smite (“to throw”), Dutch smijten (“to fling, hurl, throw”), German Low German smieten (“to throw, chuck, toss”), German schmeißen (“to fling, throw”), Danish smide (“to throw”), Swedish smita (“to run off (to)”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌼𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bismeitan, “to besmear, anoint”).

This word in other languages

golpear(Español)frapper(Français)schlagen(Deutsch)bater(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msite
  • simte
  • smiet
  • smitte
  • smmite
  • smtie
  • ssmite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smite - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

msite2simte2smiet2smitte1smmite1smtie2ssmite1
Edit distance from "smite"

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 "smite"?
"smite" is spelled S-M-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /smaɪt/.
What does "smite" mean?
As a verb, "smite" means: To hit; to strike.
What words are commonly confused with "smite"?
"smite" is commonly confused with "SMT", "suit", "spit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smite" is /smaɪt/. 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 "smite"?
From Middle English smiten, from Old English smītan (“to daub, smear, smudge; soil, defile, pollute”), from Proto-West Germanic *smītan, from Proto-Germanic *smītaną (“to sling; throw; smear”), from Proto-Indo-European *smeyd- (“to smear, whisk, s... 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 "smite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Socal#31,770shoal#31,762Selby#31,754twine#31,806

Similar misspelling depth

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

resell7 variantsPonzi7 variantswedded7 variantspecan7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list