smorgasbord
/ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/
"smorgasbord" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“smorgasbord” is an uncommon English word, ranked #58,370 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #58,370
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | smorgasbord |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #58,370 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “smorgasbord” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for smorgasbord is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/. Corpus data places it at rank #58,370 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for smorgasbord in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Swedish smörgåsbord (“buffet with many small dishes; smorgasbord”), from smörgås (“sandwich”) + bord (“table”). Smörgås is from Swedish smör (“butter”) + gås (“goose”), a reference to pieces of butter which float to the surface of milk when ch… The correct English form is smorgasbord, spelled S-M-O-R-G-A-S-B-O-R-D.
Definition
- 1A Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes.
- 2An abundant and diverse collection of things.
Etymology
Borrowed from Swedish smörgåsbord (“buffet with many small dishes; smorgasbord”), from smörgås (“sandwich”) + bord (“table”). Smörgås is from Swedish smör (“butter”) + gås (“goose”), a reference to pieces of butter which float to the surface of milk when churned.
This word in other languages
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 "smorgasbord"?
What does "smorgasbord" mean?
How do you pronounce "smorgasbord"?
What is the origin of the word "smorgasbord"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “smorgasbord”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-M-O-R-G-A-S-B-O-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.