How to pronounce smell
Say it like SMEL. Smell is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce smell. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SMEL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Smell pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SMELSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of smell
American and British speakers say smell in essentially the same way: /smɛl/ in the US and /smɛl/ in the UK.
British respelling: SMEL.
What does smell mean?
- the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form“she loved the smell of roses”
- any property detected by the olfactory system
- the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people“the feel of the city excited him”“a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting”
- inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense
- emit an odor“The soup smells good”
- smell bad“He rarely washes, and he smells”
Where does smell come from?
From Middle English smellen, smillen, smyllen, smullen, from Old English *smyllan, *smiellan (“to smell, emit fumes”), from Proto-West Germanic *smallijan (“to glow, burn, smolder”), from Proto-Indo-European *smel- (“to burn, smoke, smolder; tar, pitch”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with smell
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of smell.
Questions about saying smell
How do you pronounce smell?
Say SMEL. The American pronunciation is /smɛl/. In British English it is /smɛl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in smell?
Smell is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SMEL.
Do Americans and Brits say smell the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /smɛl/ and the British form is /smɛl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.