22 Sept 2019
We’re often fielding questions here at smol (keep them coming) but when we’re not being quizzed for our top laundry tips we’re often asked what does smol actually mean? Does it stand for anything? Is it from another language and just how exactly do you say it out loud?
Time then to clear up any confusion, set the record straight and explain the meaning behind the word.
smol is something or someone that is extremely small and just completely adorable. Given the tiny size of our capsules, you can see why we felt it appropriate. We’ve probably witnessed most spelt and spoken versions: small, smal, smalle, smal, smolle, shmol, smole or smool but it’s smol (rhymes with doll), uses lowercase ‘s’ and its roots lie somewhere in urban slang.
It seems that when we only see words written down and not spoken aloud we can spend years saying them wrong. St Pancras International Station were so dismayed by people calling them St Pancreas, they commissioned a survey into how we mispronounce on a daily basis. The survey found many common words we are saying all wrong; notably expresso rather than espresso and quin-oh-ah rather than keen-wah (quinoa).
Brand names are notoriously tricky. Many are foreign or want to sound foreign so we end up with no clue how to pronounce them.
Have you been saying these right?
Hagen Daz (Haa-gen-daass)
Nutella (New-tell-uh)
Hyundai (Hun-day)
Miele (Meal-uh)
Huawei (Wah-way)
Hermes (Air-mez)
Moschino (Moss-key-no)
Volkswagon (Vo-ks-var-gun)
Tag Huer (Tag Haw-yer)
And who knew we were mispronouncing Gif all this time? Starts with a hard G, right? Wrong! We should all be saying ‘Jif’ according to its inventor Steve Wilhite.
However you choose to say smol, (small, smal, smalle, smal, smolle, shmol, smole or smool) we truly don’t mind. Our super cute capsules and tablets will always get your laundry and dishes clean regardless how you say our name, and that’s the most important thing after all!