smutty

/ˈsmʌti/

//ˈsmʌti// adj

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

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

The verdict

“smutty” is uncommon English (frequency #71,930 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,930
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Soiled with smut; blackened, dirty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-smutty · smutty · English

smutty · rank #71,930 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,930
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sneed

Nearest frequency peer: sneed (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “smutty”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “smutty” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for smutty
PropertyValue
Headwordsmutty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsmʌti/
Letters6
Frequency rank#71,930
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “smutty” in English

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).smuttyfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “sneed” (#71,931), “smarmy” (#71,928), “sniffling” (#71,932). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smutty” is #71,930. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

smutty is uncommon English at frequency #71,930 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsmʌti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for smutty in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From smut + -y. Related to German schmutzig (“filthy, dirty, smutty”). The correct English form is smutty, spelled S-M-U-T-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Soiled with smut; blackened, dirty.
  2. 2
    Obscene, indecent.
  3. 3
    Affected with the smut fungus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She caught up the corner of her skirt and lifted the smutty coffee-pot from the stove.
  2. Yechiel Szeintuch, a professor of Yiddish literature at the Hebrew University, rejects any link between the smutty Stalags and the writings of K. Tzetnik as “an original sin.” He insists K. Tzetnik’s work was based on reality.

Etymology

From smut + -y. Related to German schmutzig (“filthy, dirty, smutty”).

This word in other languages

tiznado(Español)

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 "smutty"?
"smutty" is spelled S-M-U-T-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmʌti/.
What does "smutty" mean?
As an adjective, "smutty" means: Soiled with smut; blackened, dirty.
How do you pronounce "smutty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smutty" is /ˈsmʌti/. 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 "smutty"?
From smut + -y. Related to German schmutzig (“filthy, dirty, smutty”). 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 "smutty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

smarmy#71,928Slavin#71,923Spinks#71,937Skagit#71,921

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list