smith

Name: smith, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/smɪθ/

//smɪθ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“smith” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,376. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,376
frequency rank, English: 6,566
“S” headwords: 8
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools, sometimes heating the metal to make it more workable, especially a blacksmith.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smith · smith · English

smith · rank #1,376 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-COMMON #1,376
LEN-MID 5 letters
VOW-1 1 vowel
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-MID 8 variants
BOOK-DENSE 6,566
PHOTO-FINISH reality

Nearest frequency peer: reality (-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.

parties

98,628
plant

98,627
reality

98,626
smith

98,625
spot

98,624
Texas

98,623

What this shows Bars show where “smith” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

smith vs SMT

0% similar

smith vs sth

60% similar

smith vs suit

60% similar

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

Key facts for smith
Property	Value
Headword	smith
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/smɪθ/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#1,376
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “smith” sits in English frequency

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).smith lands here:

#1,376

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around smith (IPA /smɪθ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,376 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for smith, with forms such as "msith", "simth", and "smiht". 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", "sth", "suit", 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 smyth, smith, from Old English smiþ, from Proto-West Germanic *smiþ, from Proto-Germanic *smiþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *smēy-, *smī- (“to cut, hew”). Cognate with Dutch smid, German Schmied, German Low German Smitt, Danish smed, Faro… The correct English form is smith, spelled S-M-I-T-H.

Definition

1
A craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools, sometimes heating the metal to make it more workable, especially a blacksmith.
2
One who makes anything; wright.
3
An artist.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

The smiths themselves were a grand lot of fellows, full of a robust, and sometimes Rabelaisian sense of humour, and between "heats," they could be most entertaining.

Etymology

From Middle English smyth, smith, from Old English smiþ, from Proto-West Germanic *smiþ, from Proto-Germanic *smiþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *smēy-, *smī- (“to cut, hew”). Cognate with Dutch smid, German Schmied, German Low German Smitt, Danish smed, Faroese smiður, Icelandic smiður, Norwegian Bokmål smed, Norwegian Nynorsk smed, Swedish smed, Yiddish שמיד (shmid).

Synonyms

metalsmith

This word in other languages

forjadora(Español)forgeron(Français)Schmied(Deutsch)ferreiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

msith
simth
smiht
smithh
smitth
smmith
smtih
ssmith

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smith - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "smith"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "smith"?

"smith" is spelled S-M-I-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /smɪθ/.

What does "smith" mean?

As a noun, "smith" means: A craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools, sometimes heating the metal to make it more workable, especially a blacksmith.

What words are commonly confused with "smith"?

"smith" is commonly confused with "SMT", "sth", "suit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "smith"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smith" is /smɪθ/. 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 "smith"?

From Middle English smyth, smith, from Old English smiþ, from Proto-West Germanic *smiþ, from Proto-Germanic *smiþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *smēy-, *smī- (“to cut, hew”). Cognate with Dutch smid, German Schmied, German Low German Smitt, Danish ... 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 "smith", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

plant#1,374 Texas#1,378 we'll#1,379 worse#1,381

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

advice8 variants block8 variants caused8 variants shown8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "smith". Here's where to go from here.

"smith" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "SMT". View pair
8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
Usage frequency rank #1,376 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.