smuggle

/ˈsmʌɡəl/

//ˈsmʌɡəl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“smuggle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,210. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,210
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties

Corpus desk

Index EN-smuggle · smuggle · English

smuggle · rank #25,210 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,210
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slalom

Nearest frequency peer: slalom (-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 “smuggle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smuggle” 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).

smuggle vs snuggle
86% similar
smuggle vs struggle
75% similar
smuggle vs smuggler
88% similar

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

Key facts for smuggle
PropertyValue
Headwordsmuggle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsmʌɡəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#25,210
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smuggle”

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).smugglelands 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 “slalom” (#25,209), “Sicilian” (#25,208), “solder” (#25,212). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smuggle” is #25,210. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around smuggle (IPA /ˈsmʌɡəl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,210 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 smuggle, with forms such as "msuggle", "smgugle", and "smmuggle". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "snuggle", "struggle", "smuggler", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier smuckle, either from Dutch smokkelen (“to smuggle”), a frequentative form of Middle Dutch smūken (“to act secretly, be sneaky”), from Old Dutch *smugan, or from Dutch Low Saxon or German Low German smuggeln; all are from Proto-West Germanic *sm… The correct English form is smuggle, spelled S-M-U-G-G-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties
  2. 2
    To bring in surreptitiously
  3. 3
    To fondle or cuddle.
  4. 4
    To thrash or be thrashed by a bear's claws, or to swipe at or be swiped at by a person's arms in a bearlike manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A lorry driver who smuggled illegal immigrants into the UK in the back of his trailer has been jailed.
  2. 22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/ While Collins does include a love triangle, a coming-of-age story, and other YA-friendly elements in the mix, they serve as a Trojan horse to smuggle readers into a hopeless world where love becomes a stratagem and growing up is a matter of basic su…

Etymology

From earlier smuckle, either from Dutch smokkelen (“to smuggle”), a frequentative form of Middle Dutch smūken (“to act secretly, be sneaky”), from Old Dutch *smugan, or from Dutch Low Saxon or German Low German smuggeln; all are from Proto-West Germanic *smeugan (“to creep; slip through or into”). cognates and related terms Cognate with Saterland Frisian smuggelje (“to smuggle”), West Frisian smokkelje (“to smuggle”), German Low German smuggeln, smuckeln (“to move insidiously, smuggle”), German schmuggeln (“to smuggle”), Danish smugle (“to smuggle”), Swedish smuggla (“to smuggle”). Related also to Icelandic smjúga (“to creep, penetrate”), Swedish smyga (“to sneak, slip, crawl, lurk, steal”), German schmiegen (“to nestle, wrap, snuggle”), Old English smēogan, smūgan (“to creep, crawl, move gradually, penetrate”).

This word in other languages

contrabandear(Español)contrebander(Français)schmuggeln(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msuggle
  • smgugle
  • smmuggle
  • smuggel
  • smugglle
  • smugle
  • smuglge
  • ssmuggle
  • sumggle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smuggle - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

msuggle2smgugle2smmuggle1smuggel2smugglle1smugle1smuglge2ssmuggle1
Edit distance from "smuggle"

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 "smuggle"?
"smuggle" is spelled S-M-U-G-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmʌɡəl/.
What does "smuggle" mean?
As a verb, "smuggle" means: To import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties
What words are commonly confused with "smuggle"?
"smuggle" is commonly confused with "snuggle", "struggle", "smuggler". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smuggle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smuggle" is /ˈsmʌɡəl/. 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 "smuggle"?
From earlier smuckle, either from Dutch smokkelen (“to smuggle”), a frequentative form of Middle Dutch smūken (“to act secretly, be sneaky”), from Old Dutch *smugan, or from Dutch Low Saxon or German Low German smuggeln; all are from Proto-West Ge... 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 "smuggle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shunned#25,206shudder#25,205vetting#25,250wailing#25,253

Similar misspelling depth

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

slalom9 variantssolder9 variantssprout9 variantsSanjay9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list