smorgasbord
smor·gas·bord/ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/noun
smorgasbord is spelled S-M-O-R-G-A-S-B-O-R-D: 11 letters and 3 syllables (smor·gas·bord). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, smorgasbord means “A Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of smorgasbord is smorgasbords or smörgåsbords.
How many letters and syllables are in smorgasbord?
| Letters | 11: S-M-O-R-G-A-S-B-O-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: smor·gas·bord |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 58,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is smorgasbord?
Smorgasbord appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd 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 smorgasbord?
- UK /ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/
- UK /ˈsmɔːɡəs(ˌ)bɔːd/
- UK /ˈsmɜːɡəs(ˌ)bɔːd/
Smorgasbord has 3 syllables, split smor·gas·bord in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-AcpoKrane-smorgsabord.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of smorgasbord
- smorgasbords plural
- smörgåsbord
- smörgåsbords plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does smorgasbord mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes.
- 2
An abundant and diverse collection of things.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of smorgasbord.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Smorgasbord in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | buffet, smörgåsbord |
| German | Smörgåsbord, skandinavisches Büfett, kaltes Büfett auf skandinavische Art , kunterbunte Mischung, Sammelsurium |
| Spanish | tapas suecas, smórgasbord, bufet sueco , surtido, abanico |
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 smorgasbord come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).