What’s that smell? Who nose?

Smell is the least used of our five senses. It comes as no surprise that we find it
difficult to distinguish and identify different smells. Describing them is even
tougher. Let’s look at what goes into a smell.

Name that smell

Did you know? Humans can detect up to 10,000 kinds of different smells. When you want to
describe a smell, you should start by identifying it.

What can you smell in your home? In a zoo? How about in a fast food restaurant?

Depending on whether the smell is pleasant or foul, it can have a few synonyms.

Aroma Scent Fragrance Stench Stink Reek

Examples: The aroma of curry chicken, the reek of alcohol, the stench of garbage

Describe the smell

Next, you need to describe how the smell is like. You can make use of adjectives here.

‘Nice’ smells

Fresh, flowery, minty, comforting, rose, lemony, savoury, tempting, sweet, fruity, perfumed

‘Bad’ smells

Fetid, putrid, rancid, pungent, musty, moldy, metallic, burnt, acrid, sweaty, rotten, fishy,
nauseating, antiseptic, greasy

How does the smell move?

Some smells are strong and can fill the whole room while some are faint, slowly creeping up
to you.

‘Strong’ smells

The living room was redolent of lemon-scented freshener.

The kitchen was enveloped in acrid smoke as the fire started spreading.
Smells that travel

The aroma of baked muffins wafted into Alan’s room, causing him to salivate.
The pungent smell of urine and sweat hit him in the face as he pushed the door open.
The perfume of Mrs Tan lingered in the lift, long after she was gone.

Smells and moods

Smells can trigger our memories and evoke different moods. We can make use of
metaphors to show what certain smells remind us of.

He caught a whiff of the greasy fried chicken that brought him back to his primary school
days.

The old folks’ home smelled like loneliness.

The comforting smell of vanilla soothed me. For a moment, I forgot all my worries.

Practice Time
1) Your main character has been kidnapped. Describe the smells that he is
experiencing.

2) You and your friend are meeting up at a café for lunch. Describe what you smell.

3) Show how a hospital might smell to a patient.