Smelt

In Appalachian and Southern speech, "smelt" is the past tense of "smell." While standard English uses "smelled," the older form "smelt" stuck in regional dialects.

#SouthernWords #Appalachia #Southern

Hillbilly Dude Says...

You smell it now, but before? You 'smelt' it. It's how most of the country folk say it.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

You smell it now, but before? You 'smelt' it. It's how most of the country folk say it.

Pronunciation

[SMELT]

Meaning & Usage

- Past tense of smell (verb)

Mae:

What made you run outside?

Earl:

I smelt somethin’ burnin’.

variations: smelled, smelt it, caught a whiff, I smelt smoke, smelt bad, smelt somethin’ cookin’

★ Don’t confuse it with "smelt," the little fish - in Appalachian and Southern talk, it just means "smelled." ★

Origin and Etymology

From Middle and Early Modern English, where "smelt" was an accepted past tense of "smell." Standard English shifted to "smelled," but the older form survived in Appalachian and Southern dialects.

Usage Notes

Still common in rural and older Southern/Appalachian speech. Outsiders may see it as "incorrect," but within the dialect it’s normal and natural.

Say It Like a Southerner

Said plain: "smelt" - rhymes with "felt."

Kin Topics

Common Questions

Is "smelt" wrong grammar?

In school grammar, yes - but it’s a legitimate older form that survived in dialect.

Do people still say it today?

Yes, especially in rural Southern and Appalachian communities.

How do you know the difference between the verb and the fish?

Context - in mountain speech, "smelt" almost always means "smelled."

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, September 3). Smelt. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/smelt
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Smelt." HillbillySlang.com, 3 Sept. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/smelt.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Smelt." HillbillySlang.com. September 3, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/smelt.

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