smoke

/sməʊk/

//sməʊk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“smoke” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,181 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,181
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The visible vapor/vapour, gases, and fine particles given off by burning or smoldering material.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

smoke vs soe
60% similar
smoke vs some
60% similar
smoke vs sole
60% similar

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

Key facts for smoke
PropertyValue
Headwordsmoke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sməʊk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,181
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “smoke” 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). smoke lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for smoke is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sməʊk/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,181 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for smoke, with forms such as "msoke", "smkoe", and "smmoke". 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, "soe", "some", "sole", 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 smoke, from Old English smoca (“smoke”), probably a derivative of the verb (see below). Related to Dutch smook (“smoke”), Middle Low German smôk (“smoke”), German Schmauch (“smoke (from a gun barrel)”). The correct English form is smoke, spelled S-M-O-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The visible vapor/vapour, gases, and fine particles given off by burning or smoldering material.
  2. 2
    A cigarette.
  3. 3
    Anything to smoke (e.g. cigarettes, marijuana, etc.)
  4. 4
    An instance of smoking a cigarette, cigar, etc.; the duration of this act.
  5. 5
    A fleeting illusion; something insubstantial, evanescent, unreal, transitory, or without result.
  6. 6
    Something used to obscure or conceal; an obscuring condition; see also smoke and mirrors.
  7. 7
    A light grey color tinted with blue.
  8. 8
    Bother, trouble; problems; hassle.
  9. 9
    Any cloud of solid particles or liquid vapor dispersed into the air; particularly one of:
  10. 10
    Any cloud of solid particles or liquid vapor dispersed into the air; particularly one of:
  11. 11
    Any cloud of solid particles or liquid vapor dispersed into the air; particularly one of:
  12. 12
    A fastball.
  13. 13
    A distinct column of smoke, such as indicating a burning area or fire.

Etymology

From Middle English smoke, from Old English smoca (“smoke”), probably a derivative of the verb (see below). Related to Dutch smook (“smoke”), Middle Low German smôk (“smoke”), German Schmauch (“smoke (from a gun barrel)”).

Synonyms

cigciggycancer stickcoffin nailfag

This word in other languages

humo(Español)fumée(Français)Rauch(Deutsch)fumo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: msoke,smkoe,smmoke,smoek,smokke,somke,ssmoke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

msoke2smkoe2smmoke1smoek2smokke1somke2ssmoke1
Edit distance from "smoke"

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 "smoke"?
"smoke" is spelled S-M-O-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /sməʊk/.
What does "smoke" mean?
As a noun, "smoke" means: The visible vapor/vapour, gases, and fine particles given off by burning or smoldering material.
What words are commonly confused with "smoke"?
"smoke" is commonly confused with "soe", "some", "sole". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smoke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smoke" is /sməʊk/. 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 "smoke"?
From Middle English smoke, from Old English smoca (“smoke”), probably a derivative of the verb (see below). Related to Dutch smook (“smoke”), Middle Low German smôk (“smoke”), German Schmauch (“smoke (from a gun barrel)”). 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.

Using “smoke”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-M-O-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sməʊk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “soe” - see the side-by-side comparison. smoke vs soe
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list