smuggler

/ˈsmʌɡ.lə(ɹ)/

//ˈsmʌɡ.lə(ɹ)// noun

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

"smuggler" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“smuggler” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,590. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,590
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who smuggles things.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smuggler · smuggler · English

smuggler · rank #30,590 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,590
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SMA

Nearest frequency peer: SMA (-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 “smuggler”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smuggler” 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).

smuggler vs snuggle
75% similar
smuggler vs smuggle
88% similar
smuggler vs slugger
75% similar

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

Key facts for smuggler
PropertyValue
Headwordsmuggler
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsmʌɡ.lə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#30,590
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smuggler”

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).smugglerlands 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 “SMA” (#30,589), “Snape” (#30,591), “SLR” (#30,588). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smuggler” is #30,590. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around smuggler (IPA /ˈsmʌɡ.lə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,590 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for smuggler, with forms such as "msuggler", "smgugler", and "smmuggler". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "snuggle", "smuggle", "slugger", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From smuggle + -er. The correct English form is smuggler, spelled S-M-U-G-G-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who smuggles things.
  2. 2
    A vessel employed in smuggling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Every time the little gate creaks--I'm in the shed with the tanks at the end of the garden--I wonder from which of my pasts the person is arriving, seeking me out even here: maybe it is only the past of yesterday and of this same suburb, the squat Arab garbage collector who in October begins his rounds for tips, house by house, with a Happy New Year card,…
  2. Cabbage Moh, a Cantonese smuggler and drug dealer from triad-controlled Shumchun on the Hong Kong border, sees an opportunity to the north and opens dens supplying dope and philopon ferried up the Soochow Creek and distributed out of Fah Wah Village, adjacent to the new sin strip.

Etymology

From smuggle + -er.

Synonyms

contrabandercontrabandist

This word in other languages

contrebandier(Français)Schmuggler(Deutsch)contrabandista(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msuggler
  • smgugler
  • smmuggler
  • smuggelr
  • smugglerr
  • smuggller
  • smugglre
  • smugler
  • smuglger
  • ssmuggler
  • sumggler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smuggler - 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.

msuggler2smgugler2smmuggler1smuggelr2smugglerr1smuggller1smugglre2smugler1
Edit distance from "smuggler"

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 "smuggler"?
"smuggler" is spelled S-M-U-G-G-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmʌɡ.lə(ɹ)/.
What does "smuggler" mean?
As a noun, "smuggler" means: One who smuggles things.
What words are commonly confused with "smuggler"?
"smuggler" is commonly confused with "snuggle", "smuggle", "slugger". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smuggler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smuggler" is /ˈsmʌɡ.lə(ɹ)/. 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 "smuggler"?
From smuggle + -er. 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 "smuggler", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sketched#30,587spurious#30,602Sandusky#30,575salinity#30,573

Similar misspelling depth

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

sundown11 variantspyjamas11 variantsputative11 variantswineries11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list