smudge

/smʌd͡ʒ/

//smʌd͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“smudge” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,762. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,762
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smudge · smudge · English

smudge · rank #36,762 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,762
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sociedad

Nearest frequency peer: Sociedad (+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 “smudge”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smudge” 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).

smudge vs smug
67% similar
smudge vs surge
67% similar
smudge vs smuggle
71% similar

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

Key facts for smudge
PropertyValue
Headwordsmudge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/smʌd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#36,762
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smudge”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).smudgelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Sociedad” (#36,763), “speckled” (#36,764), “shined” (#36,759). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smudge” is #36,762. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around smudge (IPA /smʌd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,762 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for smudge, with forms such as "msudge", "smduge", and "smmudge". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "smug", "surge", "smuggle", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from the verb (see below). Doublet of smutch. The correct English form is smudge, spelled S-M-U-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one.
  2. 2
    Dense smoke, such as that used for fumigation.
  3. 3
    A heap of damp combustibles partially ignited and burning slowly, placed on the windward side of a house, tent, etc. to keep off mosquitoes or other insects.
  4. 4
    A quantity of herbs used in suffumigation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was a smudge on the paper.
  2. Then "smudges" are in vogue,—heaps of damp combustibles placed on the windward side of the house and partially ignited, that their inky steams may smother the mosquitoes while we take our chance. I have had a "smudge" made in a chafing-dish at my bedside, after a serious deliberation between choking and being devoured at small mouthfuls; and I conscientio…

Etymology

Derived from the verb (see below). Doublet of smutch.

Synonyms

blursmutchstain

This word in other languages

borrón(Español)bavure(Français)Fleck(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msudge
  • smduge
  • smmudge
  • smuddge
  • smudeg
  • smudgge
  • smugde
  • ssmudge
  • sumdge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

msudge2smduge2smmudge1smuddge1smudeg2smudgge1smugde2ssmudge1
Edit distance from "smudge"

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 "smudge"?
"smudge" is spelled S-M-U-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /smʌd͡ʒ/.
What does "smudge" mean?
As a noun, "smudge" means: A blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one.
What words are commonly confused with "smudge"?
"smudge" is commonly confused with "smug", "surge", "smuggle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smudge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smudge" is /smʌd͡ʒ/. 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 "smudge"?
Derived from the verb (see below). Doublet of smutch. 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 "smudge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shined#36,759Shimon#36,758senpai#36,754swatch#36,771

Similar misspelling depth

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

Teflon9 variantsThebes9 variantsurinate9 variantspotash9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list