Pronunciation: [smˈɪd͡ʒən] (IPA) 
The word "smidgen" is commonly spelled with an "i" but is sometimes written as "smidgeon" or "smidge". The vowel sound is pronounced as "ɪ" in the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is a short sound like the "i" in "sit". The "g" is followed by an "e", but is actually silent in the pronunciation of the word. This word is typically used to refer to a small amount or quantity of something, often in cooking or measuring ingredients.
A smidgen, often spelled as "smidgin," is a noun that originated in the United States during the mid-19th century. It refers to a very small, insignificant or inconsequential amount or quantity of something. The term is commonly used to indicate a tiny or minute portion of an object or substance. It implies a measure that is barely perceptible or hardly noticeable due to its minuteness.
The word can be applied to both tangible and intangible things, such as physical quantities, measurements, or abstract concepts. For instance, someone may request a smidgen of salt to add to their recipe, which implies an extremely tiny pinch of salt as per their taste preference. Similarly, a person may express a smidgen of doubt when they have a slight feeling of uncertainty or skepticism about a situation or statement.
The term "smidgen" often conveys a sense of playfulness, informality, or colloquialism when used in informal conversations or writing. It is typically regarded as an endearing or folksy way to depict the existence or absence of a minuscule quantity. Despite its informal connotations, the word is widely understood and accepted in various English-speaking communities as a versatile term for describing a small amount or degree of something.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "smidgen" is believed to have originated in the United States in the mid-19th century. It is derived from the Scottish dialect word "smitch", which means a small amount or a tiny piece. "Smitch" itself comes from the Old English word "smycin", meaning to smudge or smear. Over time, "smidgen" specifically came to refer to a small quantity or a tiny bit of something.
