smut

/smʌt/

//smʌt// noun

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

"smut" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“smut” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,290 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#34,290
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Soot.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

smut vs su
50% similar
smut vs sun
50% similar
smut vs sub
50% similar

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

Key facts for smut
PropertyValue
Headwordsmut
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/smʌt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#34,290
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “smut” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). smut lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for smut is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /smʌt/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,290 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for smut, with forms such as "smmut", "smtu", and "smutt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "su", "sun", "sub", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English smutten (“to defile, debase”), related to German Schmutz (“filth, dirt, smut”) and schmutzen (“to make dirty, stain”). Doublet of schmutz. Compare also Old English smitta (“smear; blot; mark; stain; pollution”), Old English besmītan (“to… The correct English form is smut, spelled S-M-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Soot.
  2. 2
    A flake of ash or soot.
  3. 3
    Sexually vulgar material; something that is sexual in a dirty way; pornographic material.
  4. 4
    Obscene language; ribaldry; obscenity.
  5. 5
    Any of a range of fungi, mostly Ustilaginomycetes, that cause plant disease in grasses, including cereal crops; the disease so caused.
  6. 6
    Bad, soft coal containing earthy matter, found in the immediate locality of faults.
  7. 7
    A copper boiler.

Etymology

From Middle English smutten (“to defile, debase”), related to German Schmutz (“filth, dirt, smut”) and schmutzen (“to make dirty, stain”). Doublet of schmutz. Compare also Old English smitta (“smear; blot; mark; stain; pollution”), Old English besmītan (“to besmut; defile; dirty; pollute; contaminate”).

This word in other languages

tizón(Español)cul(Français)Brand(Deutsch)carvão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: smmut,smtu,smutt,ssmut,sumt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

smmut1smtu2smutt1ssmut1sumt2
Edit distance from "smut"

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 "smut"?
"smut" is spelled S-M-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /smʌt/.
What does "smut" mean?
As a noun, "smut" means: Soot.
What words are commonly confused with "smut"?
"smut" is commonly confused with "su", "sun", "sub". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smut" is /smʌt/. 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 "smut"?
From Middle English smutten (“to defile, debase”), related to German Schmutz (“filth, dirt, smut”) and schmutzen (“to make dirty, stain”). Doublet of schmutz. Compare also Old English smitta (“smear; blot; mark; stain; pollution”), Old English bes... 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.

Using “smut”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-M-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /smʌt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “su” - see the side-by-side comparison. smut vs su
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list