smooth

/smuːð/

//smuːð// adj

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

"smooth" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“smooth” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,655. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,655
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smooth · smooth · English

smooth · rank #3,655 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,655
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH signing

Nearest frequency peer: signing (-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 “smooth”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “smooth” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

smooth vs soot
67% similar
smooth vs south
67% similar
smooth vs Smyth
50% similar

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

Key facts for smooth
PropertyValue
Headwordsmooth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/smuːð/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,655
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “smooth” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).smoothlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “signing” (#3,654), “spiritual” (#3,656), “sheet” (#3,653). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around smooth (IPA /smuːð/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,655 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for smooth, with forms such as "msooth", "smmooth", and "smooht". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "soot", "south", "Smyth", 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 smothe, smethe, from Old English smēþe, smōþ, both from Proto-West Germanic *smanþī, of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots smuith (“smooth”), Saterland Frisian smoud (“smooth”), Low German smood and smödig (“smooth, malleable, ductile”),… The correct English form is smooth, spelled S-M-O-O-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough.
  2. 2
    Without difficulty, problems, or unexpected consequences or incidents.
  3. 3
    Bland; glib.
  4. 4
    Flowing or uttered without check, obstruction, or hesitation; not harsh; fluent.
  5. 5
    Suave; sophisticated.
  6. 6
    Natural; unconstrained.
  7. 7
    Unbroken.
  8. 8
    Placid, calm.
  9. 9
    Lacking projections or indentations; not serrated.
  10. 10
    Not grainy; having an even texture.
  11. 11
    Having a pleasantly rounded flavor; neither rough nor astringent.
  12. 12
    Having derivatives of all finite orders at all points within the function’s domain.
  13. 13
    That factors completely into small prime numbers.
  14. 14
    Lacking marked aspiration.
  15. 15
    Involuntary and non-striated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The outlines must be smooth, […]imperceptible to the touch, and even, without eminence or cavities.
  2. “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable,[…].

Etymology

From Middle English smothe, smethe, from Old English smēþe, smōþ, both from Proto-West Germanic *smanþī, of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots smuith (“smooth”), Saterland Frisian smoud (“smooth”), Low German smood and smödig (“smooth, malleable, ductile”), Dutch smeuïg (“smooth”) (from earlier smeudig).

Synonyms

evenfluidslickdownyflatfrictionlesslanatelevelsilkensilklikesilkysleekslightsmoothvelutinousvelvety

Antonyms

roughunevenbumpycoarsetextured

This word in other languages

liso(Español)lisse(Français)glatt(Deutsch)liso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msooth
  • smmooth
  • smooht
  • smoothh
  • smootth
  • smoth
  • smotoh
  • somoth
  • ssmooth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smooth - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

msooth2smmooth1smooht2smoothh1smootth1smoth1smotoh2somoth2
Edit distance from "smooth"

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 "smooth"?
"smooth" is spelled S-M-O-O-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /smuːð/.
What does "smooth" mean?
As an adjective, "smooth" means: Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough.
What words are commonly confused with "smooth"?
"smooth" is commonly confused with "soot", "south", "Smyth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smooth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smooth" is /smuːð/. 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 "smooth"?
From Middle English smothe, smethe, from Old English smēþe, smōþ, both from Proto-West Germanic *smanþī, of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots smuith (“smooth”), Saterland Frisian smoud (“smooth”), Low German smood and smödig (“smooth, malleable, ... 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 "smooth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

string#3,658sudden#3,659recall#3,650Sweden#3,660

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

poetry9 variantsbother9 variantsIsraeli9 variantshadn't9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "smooth". Here's where to go from here.

  • "smooth" maps to 11 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "soot". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,655 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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