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.
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?
What made you run outside?
Earl:
I smelt somethin’ burnin’.
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."