smooth
/smuːð/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
smooth is spelled S-M-O-O-T-H: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, smooth means “Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in smooth?
| Letters | 6: S-M-O-O-T-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,612th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is smooth?
Smooth appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th 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 smooth?
- /smuːð/
Smooth has one syllable (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-smooth.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-smooth.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of smooth
- smoother comparative
- smoothest superlative
- smooths plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- smoothing participle, present
- smoothed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does smooth mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough.
- 2
Without difficulty, problems, or unexpected consequences or incidents.
We hope for a smooth transition to the new system.
- 3
Bland; glib.
- 4
Flowing or uttered without check, obstruction, or hesitation; not harsh; fluent.
- 5
Suave; sophisticated.
- 6
Natural; unconstrained.
- 7
Unbroken.
- 8
Placid, calm.
adverb
- 1
Smoothly.
smooth-running, smooth-tongued, smooth-spoken
noun
- 1
Something that is smooth, or that goes smoothly and easily.
- 2
A smoothing action.
- 3
A domestic animal having a smooth coat.
- 4
A member of an anti-hippie fashion movement in 1970s Britain.
- 5
The analysis obtained through a smoothing procedure.
verb
- 1
To make smooth or even.
- 2
To reduce to a particular shape or form by pressure; to press, to flatten.
to smooth cloth with a smoothing iron
- 3
To make straightforward or easy.
- 4
To calm or palliate.
to smooth a person's temper
- 5
To capture important patterns in the data, while leaving out noise.
- 6
To stroke; especially to stroke an animal's fur.
Can I smooth your cat?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Smooth in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lisse , doux, facile , sophistiqué , naturel , lisser |
| German | glatt , reibungslos, problemlos , glätten |
| Portuguese | liso , suave , alisar |
| Spanish | liso, glaxo, terso, suave , sofisticado , constante |
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 smooth come from?
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).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).