smock

/smɒk/

//smɒk// noun

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

The verdict

“smock” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,052. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,052
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 type of undergarment worn by women; a shift or slip.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smock · smock · English

smock · rank #49,052 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,052
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH smudged

Nearest frequency peer: smudged (+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 “smock”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smock” 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).

smock vs suck
60% similar
smock vs soak
60% similar
smock vs sock
80% similar

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

Key facts for smock
PropertyValue
Headwordsmock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/smɒk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#49,052
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smock”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).smocklands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “smudged” (#49,053), “skydive” (#49,050), “SNA” (#49,054). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smock” is #49,052. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around smock (IPA /smɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #49,052 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 smock, with forms such as "msock", "smcok", and "smmock". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "suck", "soak", "sock", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English smok, from Old English smocc, smoc, from Proto-Germanic *smukkaz (“something slipped into”). Akin to Old High German smocho, Icelandic smokkur, and from the root of Old English smugan (“to creep”), akin to German schmiegen (“to cling to,… The correct English form is smock, spelled S-M-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of undergarment worn by women; a shift or slip.
  2. 2
    A blouse; a smock frock.
  3. 3
    A loose garment worn as protection by a painter, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. c. 1960s (version), 14th century' (originally published), Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk's Prologue and Tale Before the folk herself stripped she, And in her smock, with foot and head all bare, Toward her father's house forth is she fare.
  2. And women were in that gabarre [boat]; whom the Red Nightcaps were stripping naked; who begged, in their agony, that their smocks might not be stript from them.

Etymology

From Middle English smok, from Old English smocc, smoc, from Proto-Germanic *smukkaz (“something slipped into”). Akin to Old High German smocho, Icelandic smokkur, and from the root of Old English smugan (“to creep”), akin to German schmiegen (“to cling to, press close”). Middle High German smiegen, Icelandic smjúga (“to creep through, to put on a garment which has a hole to put the head through”); compare with Lithuanian smukti (“to glide”). See also smug, smuggle.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msock
  • smcok
  • smmock
  • smocck
  • smockk
  • smokc
  • somck
  • ssmock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smock - 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.

msock2smcok2smmock1smocck1smockk1smokc2somck2ssmock1
Edit distance from "smock"

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 "smock"?
"smock" is spelled S-M-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /smɒk/.
What does "smock" mean?
As a noun, "smock" means: A type of undergarment worn by women; a shift or slip.
What words are commonly confused with "smock"?
"smock" is commonly confused with "suck", "soak", "sock". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smock" is /smɒk/. 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 "smock"?
From Middle English smok, from Old English smocc, smoc, from Proto-Germanic *smukkaz (“something slipped into”). Akin to Old High German smocho, Icelandic smokkur, and from the root of Old English smugan (“to creep”), akin to German schmiegen (“to... 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 "smock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list