smithereens
smi·ther·eens/ˌsmɪðəˈɹinz/noun
smithereens is spelled S-M-I-T-H-E-R-E-E-N-S: 11 letters and 3 syllables (smi·ther·eens). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, smithereens means “Fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in smithereens?
| Letters | 11: S-M-I-T-H-E-R-E-E-N-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: smi·ther·eens |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,788th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 smithereens?
Smithereens appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th 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 smithereens?
- UK /smɪðəˈɹiːnz/
- US /ˌsmɪðəˈɹinz/
Smithereens has 3 syllables, split smi·ther·eens in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-smithereens.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with smithereens?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as smithereens from its last stressed vowel (/inz/):
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 smithereens
- smithereen rare, singular
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does smithereens mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informalFragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items.
The urn shattered into smithereens the moment it hit the ground.
noun
- 1
plural of Smithereen
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Smithereens in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | miettes |
| German | Splitter, Stücke, Stückchen |
| Portuguese | pedacinhos |
| Spanish | añicos, pedazos, trozos, cacharros, trizas |
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.