Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

besmirch

/bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.00 in modern English

Syllables
be-smirch
IPA
/bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/
17
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make dirty.

Literary; Transitive verb

verb

To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid). Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”). By surface analysis, be- + smirch.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/
  • British English: /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

besmirches (present, singular) besmirching (participle, present) besmirched (participle, past) besmirched (past)

Derived Forms

besmircher besmirchment unbesmirch unbesmirchable unbesmirched

Synonyms

soil sully tarnish assoil beclart bedaub bedirty imbrue (especially with blood) bedizen befile befilth befoul

Antonyms

unbesmirch

Rhymes With

research church search birch flame birch perch sand perch merch burch lurch smirch virch

Questions

How do you pronounce besmirch?
The recorded pronunciation is /bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/.
What does besmirch mean?
To make dirty.
Where does besmirch come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce besmirch

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “besmirch”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “besmirch”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “besmirch” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.