smother

/ˈsməðər/

//ˈsməðər// verb

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

"smother" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“smother” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,085. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,085
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smother · smother · English

smother · rank #35,085 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,085
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH smoothness

Nearest frequency peer: smoothness (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “smother”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “smother” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

smother vs soothe
71% similar
smother vs Smythe
57% similar
smother vs spotter
71% similar

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

Key facts for smother
PropertyValue
Headwordsmother
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsməðər/
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,085
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smother”

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).smotherlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “smoothness” (#35,084), “smelter” (#35,083), “slung” (#35,082). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smother” is #35,085. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around smother (IPA /ˈsməðər/), averb. Corpus frequency is #35,085 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for smother, with forms such as "msother", "smmother", and "smohter". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "soothe", "Smythe", "spotter", 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 smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to… The correct English form is smother, spelled S-M-O-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.
  2. 2
    To extinguish or deaden, as fire, by covering, overlaying, or otherwise excluding the air.
  3. 3
    To reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity; suppress or do away with; extinguish
  4. 4
    To cook in a close dish.
  5. 5
    To daub or smear.
  6. 6
    To be suffocated.
  7. 7
    To breathe with great difficulty by reason of smoke, dust, close covering or wrapping, or the like.
  8. 8
    to burn very slowly for want of air; smolder.
  9. 9
    to perish, grow feeble, or decline, by suppression or concealment; be stifled; be suppressed or concealed.
  10. 10
    To get in the way of a kick of the ball.
  11. 11
    To get in the way of a kick of the ball, preventing it going very far. When a player is kicking the ball, an opponent who is close enough will reach out with his hands and arms to get over the top of it, so the ball hits his hands after leaving the kicker's boot, dribbling away.
  12. 12
    To prevent the development of an opponent's attack by one's arm positioning.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He smothered her by pressing his hand over her mouth.
  2. But I am Pestilence;—hither and thither I flit about, that I may slay and smother;— All lips which I have kissed must surely wither, But Death’s—if thou art he, we’ll go to work together!

Etymology

From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to suffocate, strangle”), probably related to *smallijan (“to burn”) or Old English smoca (“smoke”). Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).

This word in other languages

sofocar(Español)étouffer(Français)ersticken(Deutsch)sufocar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msother
  • smmother
  • smohter
  • smotehr
  • smotherr
  • smothher
  • smothre
  • smotther
  • smtoher
  • somther
  • ssmother

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smother - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

msother2smmother1smohter2smotehr2smotherr1smothher1smothre2smotther1
Edit distance from "smother"

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 "smother"?
"smother" is spelled S-M-O-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsməðər/.
What does "smother" mean?
As a verb, "smother" means: To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.
What words are commonly confused with "smother"?
"smother" is commonly confused with "soothe", "Smythe", "spotter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smother"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smother" is /ˈsməðər/. 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 "smother"?
From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *sm... 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 "smother", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

smelter#35,083stepson#35,097Sudbury#35,101scruffy#35,068

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

stateless11 variantssewerage11 variantsstrolled11 variantsscrotum11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list