smolder
/ˈsmoʊldɚ/verb, noun
smolder is spelled S-M-O-L-D-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 93,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, smolder means “To burn slowly, giving off smoke but with little to no flame” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in smolder?
| Letters | 7: S-M-O-L-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 93,703rd 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 smolder?
Smolder appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 93,703rd 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 smolder?
- UK /ˈsməʊldə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈsmoʊldɚ/
- Australia /ˈsməʉldə(ɹ)/
Smolder has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-smolder.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with smolder?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as smolder from its last stressed vowel (/oʊldəɹ/):
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 smolder
- smolders present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- smoldering participle, present
- smoldered participle, past
- smoulder
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does smolder mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
USTo burn slowly, giving off smoke but with little to no flame.
The remains of the bonfire were left to smolder for hours.
- 2
To show signs of repressed anger or suppressed mental turmoil or other strong emotion, such as passion.
- 3
To exist in a suppressed or hidden state.
noun
- 1
The act of smoldering or something that smolders.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Smolder in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se consumer, couver , ronger son frein |
| German | schwelen, glimmen |
| Portuguese | queimar/arder (sem chama) |
| Spanish | arder sin flama |
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.
Where does smolder come from?
From Middle English smolderen (“to suffocate, stifle”), from Middle English smolder (“smoke, smoky vapour”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *smolōn (“to burn, glow, fume, smoulder”). Related to Proto-West Germanic *smallijan (> English smell).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).