smuggle
/ˈsmʌɡəl/verb
smuggle is spelled S-M-U-G-G-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, smuggle means “To import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in smuggle?
| Letters | 7: S-M-U-G-G-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,070th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is smuggle?
Smuggle appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th 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 smuggle?
- /ˈsmʌɡəl/
Smuggle has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-smuggle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of smuggle
- smuggles present, singular, he/she/it
- smuggling participle, present
- smuggled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does smuggle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties
- 2
To bring in surreptitiously
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
- 3
obsoleteTo fondle or cuddle.
- 4
slangTo 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Smuggle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs char:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | passer en contrebande, contrebander |
| German | schmuggeln |
| Portuguese | contrabandear |
| Spanish | contrabandear, pasar de contrabando |
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.