Smelled or smelt: the short answer
Both smelled and smelt are accepted as the simple past and the past participle of smell. Smelled is the usual choice in American English, while British English commonly accepts both, with smelt appearing often in the past participle. Neither is wrong, so choose one and use it consistently.
- I smelled smoke in the hallway.
- I smelt smoke in the hallway.
The principal parts of smell
| Form | Word |
|---|---|
| Base form | smell |
| Third person singular | smells |
| Simple past | smelled or smelt |
| Present participle | smelling |
| Past participle | smelled or smelt |
So the three main forms are smell, smelled/smelt, smelled/smelt. Like a few other verbs, smell can take either a regular -ed ending or an irregular -t ending. This is why it is often listed as irregular even though smelled follows the regular pattern. For more verbs where the past and past participle match, see our guide to irregular verbs with the same past and past participle.
US and UK usage
In American English, smelled is generally preferred. In British English, both forms are in use, and many writers use smelt. Because usage varies by writer and region, a good rule is to follow the style of your audience or publication. If you write for an international audience, smelled is understood everywhere.
Example sentences
- She smelled the roses before picking them. (simple past)
- He smelt gas and called the engineer. (simple past, British style)
- We have smelled that perfume before. (present perfect)
- The kitchen had smelt of onions all day. (past perfect)
- The soup smells wonderful. (present)
- Something is smelling odd in here. (present continuous)
Smell as a linking verb and as an action verb
Smell can work in two ways.
As an action verb, it means to detect a scent with the nose. It takes an object, and an adverb can describe how:
- She smelled the milk carefully.
As a linking verb, it describes a quality of the subject. It is followed by an adjective:
- The milk smells sour.
- The garden smells lovely.
Smells bad or smells badly?
When smell links the subject to a description, use an adjective: The fish smells bad. Using badly would suggest that the subject is poor at the act of smelling (the kind of word-choice slip found in identifying sentence errors exercises), as in He smells badly after his illness, meaning his sense of smell is weak. Most of the time, you want the adjective.
Smell in the main tenses
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Simple present | The bread smells fresh. |
| Present continuous | I am smelling the flowers. |
| Simple past | The bread smelled fresh. |
| Past continuous | We were smelling the herbs. |
| Present perfect | The room has smelled of paint all week. |
| Past perfect | It had smelled of rain earlier. |
| Simple future | The kitchen will smell wonderful. |
Note that when smell describes what something seems like, it is typically used in the simple form rather than the continuous: It smells good, not It is smelling good.
Other verbs with two accepted past forms
Several verbs behave like smell. These include burn (burned/burnt), dream (dreamed/dreamt), learn (learned/learnt), and spell (spelled/spelt). In most cases, the -ed form is the one most commonly seen in American writing. Teachers can build a lesson around these pairs using the irregular verbs lesson plan.
Frequently asked questions
Should I say “smelled” or “smelt”? Either is acceptable. Use smelled if you want the form that is standard in American English and understood everywhere.
What are the three forms of smell? Smell, smelled (or smelt), smelled (or smelt).
Is it correct to say “smelled” or “smelt” in the UK? Both are used in the UK. Smelt is common in British writing, but smelled is also correct.
What are five irregular verbs? Common examples include go, see, write, bring, and take. Smell is a borderline case because it accepts both a regular and an irregular past form.