Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell smell

Smell is spelled S-M-E-L-L. The part people get wrong: double L.

hear itsmell/smɛl/verbSounds

What it means: To have a particular scent or odor.

In a sentence: The flowers in the garden smell really nice.

The part people get wrong

Watch for double l.

Same family: smells, smelled, smelling, smelly, odor. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Smell” comes from Old English “smellan,” which originally meant to sense something by nose or taste. It is related to old Germanic words for noticing or perceiving, showing how closely smell is linked to perception.

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