smithereens

/smɪðəˈɹiːnz/

//smɪðəˈɹiːnz// noun

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

"smithereens" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“smithereens” is uncommon English (frequency #57,079 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,079
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smithereens · smithereens · English

smithereens · rank #57,079 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,079
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Smithson

Nearest frequency peer: Smithson (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “smithereens”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for smithereens
PropertyValue
Headwordsmithereens
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/smɪðəˈɹiːnz/
Letters11
Frequency rank#57,079
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “smithereens” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

smithereens is uncommon English at frequency #57,079 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /smɪðəˈɹiːnz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for smithereens, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain. The following words, all first attested later than the headword, have been compared: * Irish smidiríní, smiodairíní (“smithereens”), from smiodar (“broken piece, fragment”) + -ín (suffix forming diminutive nouns) + -í (slender form of -aí (suffix… The correct English form is smithereens, spelled S-M-I-T-H-E-R-E-E-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The urn shattered into smithereens the moment it hit the ground.
  2. When the waiter dropped the platter, one smithereen struck him above the knee, and the four remaining smithereens scattered across the floor.

Etymology

Uncertain. The following words, all first attested later than the headword, have been compared: * Irish smidiríní, smiodairíní (“smithereens”), from smiodar (“broken piece, fragment”) + -ín (suffix forming diminutive nouns) + -í (slender form of -aí (suffix forming plurals of some nouns)). * smither (“fragment; atom”), which would be suffixed with -een (forming diminutive nouns in Irish English). * Hiberno-English (Wexford) smaddereen, a variant of smattering (“small amount or number of something; shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject”). * Hiberno-English (Wexford) smithered, smashed

This word in other languages

añicos(Español)miettes(Français)Splitter(Deutsch)

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 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "smithereens"?
"smithereens" is spelled S-M-I-T-H-E-R-E-E-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is /smɪðəˈɹiːnz/.
What does "smithereens" mean?
As a noun, "smithereens" means: Fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items.
How do you pronounce "smithereens"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smithereens" is /smɪðəˈɹiːnz/. 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 "smithereens"?
Uncertain. The following words, all first attested later than the headword, have been compared: * Irish smidiríní, smiodairíní (“smithereens”), from smiodar (“broken piece, fragment”) + -ín (suffix forming diminutive nouns) + -í (slender form of -... 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 "smithereens", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Shelbyville#57,064suppressive#57,112revaluation#57,021uncountable#57,145

What to do next

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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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list