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This list of scents

is something I’ve been meaning to do forever, because the sense of smell is uniquely connected to memories and to emotion. A scent in a story can flip a little switch in a reader’s brain, immediately triggering a mood. That’s why when I edit other people’s books, I often encourage them to include smells.

I especially encourage writers of Christmas stories to include beloved, nostalgic holiday scents. That’s why I already did this list of Christmas scents! Most of those scents will be in the mix here, too!

puppy smelling peony

An odor or scent can be used in all kinds of ways in writing:

It can cause a strong positive response, such as joy or contentment. 

It can cause a strong negative response, such as fear or disgust.

It can tell you about a character (whether it’s their scent, or the scent of their home or car.)

It can be a clue in a mystery. 

It can be a reason for attraction in a romance.

And it can make a scene more immersive, so readers feel like they’re in the story! 

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Here’s my list of scents A – Z…

My apologies in advance for some disgusting smell juxtapositions that result in the A – Z order!

It’s not a complete list, of course. For instance, I didn’t try to list every food and every plant there is. I focused on the more common ones, from a U.S. standpoint. It’s a big list, though.

There are a few nostalgic smells on here that are almost extinct, so you might not be personally familiar with them. Some of these scents come in a lot of different varieties!

You’ll have to let me know if I left off something important…or if one of these smells is your favorite! If there’s a scent on here that most people don’t mind and you can’t stand, I’d love to hear about that, too.

aftershave

algae

almonds

This scent was famously invoked in the opening line of Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I don’t actually like his stories, but I like the prose.

ammonia

apples

asphalt (a.k.a. blacktop), fresh

babies (especially the top of a baby’s head)

baby powder

bacon

bad breath / halitosis

ballpoint pen ink

bananas

Band-Aids

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Barbicide

This blue fluid is a classic disinfectant used in many barber shops.

basil

basketball, especially new

beer

birthday cake

birthday candles, just blown out

bleach

blood (regular blood, period blood)

body odors

books, old

bread, fresh-baked

burned match 

burning leaves

buttercream frosting

calamine lotion

cannabis

cardamom

carnations

car exhaust (also diesel exhaust, like from buses)

In my romcom novel Her Time Traveling Duke, my hero from 1818 is confused by this smell when he finds himself in modern-day Chicago.

car interior, new

carpet (new carpet; dirty carpet)

cat litter box

cedar, cedar chests

celery

charcoal briquettes / charcoal grill

chewing gum / bubble gum

chocolates

cigar smoke

cigarette smoke

cilantro

cinnamon

cinnamon rolls (some Americans will be familiar with the smell of Cinnabon at the mall)

citronella

clay

clover

cloves

coconut

coffee

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cookies 

crayons

creosote bushes, in the desert

cucumbers

curry

decomposing dead body, animal or human

deodorant

dill

dirt

dirty diapers

dog (could be unwashed, could be wet)

dog’s paws (they often smell like corn chips)

donuts

dusty light bulb

dryer sheets, like Bounce

dryer vents

dumpster / garbage 

Durian fruit (famous for smelling horrible…I’ve never smelled it!)

eucalyptus

excrement (human, dog, horse dung, manure, etc.)

fallen leaves (dry, wet)

figs

fireworks, burned

frankincense

French fries

fried chicken

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garlic

gasoline

glue 

grapefruit

graphite (pencil lead)

grass, freshly mowed

hand sanitizer (smells like ethyl alcohol; may have a garbagey or tequila-like note)

hay

hair (freshly washed, oily, burned)

hairspray

honeysuckle

incense 

infection, from a wound

jasmine

Kool-Aid

lava (can include the smell of sulfur)

lavender

laundry detergent

laundry, fresh or dirty

leather

lemon

lemon-scented furniture polish

lighter fluid

lilacs

This is definitely one of my favorites on this list of scents! When I was growing up, the neighbor’s lilac bush bloomed right under my bedroom window.

lilies

lime

linseed oil

Lysol

magnolias

markers (Sharpies; whiteboard markers; scented markers such as Mr. Sketch)

mascara

mayonnaise

mildew

mimeographed handouts/worksheets (nostalgic smell…but paper from a copy machine smells good, too)

mineral spirits

mint

Miracle-Gro

mothballs

musk

musty basement (mold and/or mildew)

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nail polish

nail polish remover / acetone

natural gas/gas leak

new clothes, especially in a department store

I’m sure horrible chemicals are responsible for this smell, but I still love it. 

Noxema / cold cream

onions

oranges/orange juice

orange blossoms

oregano 

ozone (the smell of a storm coming)

PVC vinyl (new shower curtain/shower curtain liner, inflatable beach ball, etc.)

paint (finger paints, oil paint, house paint, spray paint)

pancakes with maple syrup

paper towels, wet: the brown ones that used to be in some schools and libraries (nostalgic smell)

patchouli

peaches

peanut butter

pears

peonies

perfume and cologne (huge range of scents, of course)

perm solution for hair

petrichor: the smell when it rains after a dry spell

pie (lots of different kinds)

pine trees

Pine-Sol floor cleaner

pineapple

pizza

Play-Doh

popcorn

pumpkin spice lattes

rice, cooked

rosemary

rotten food (eggs, fish, meat, potatoes…)

rotting wood

rubber cement

rubbing alcohol

roses

saddle soap

sage

sandalwood

sawdust (also, lumber…they smell the same, right?)

school paste (this might be a nostalgic one only?)

Scotch tape

scented candles (almost endless varieties here)

the sea / sea spray

shampoo

shaving cream

shoes (new leather shoes, new sneakers, stinky sneakers)

shoe polish

soap

skunk

This smell also plays a role in my romcom Her Time Traveling Duke. Nobody gets sprayed, though!

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spoiled milk

steak

strawberries

sweat (can also be a clean smell)

sweet grass

swimming pools with chlorine

suntan lotion

tar

tea

tea tree oil

tennis balls in a just-opened can

Thanksgiving turkey

tires, especially new

tomatoes/tomato vines

tuna salad

unwashed socks

unwashed underwear

urine

vanilla

varnish

VHS video cases (nostalgic scent)

Vicks VapoRub

vinegar

vintage vinyl records (I think part of this smell is mildew)

vomit

WD-40

waffle cone

wallpaper paste

watermelon

whiskey

Windex / glass cleaner

wine

winter air on someone’s coat/hair/skin when they’ve just come inside

I don’t know how this is a smell, but it is.

wood smoke

wood wax

wool (including wet winter coats)

yeast

ylang-ylang

Here’s another reason to use this list of scents:

People spend a lot of time online. They can see and hear content on a screen, but they can’t smell it. The same goes for tactile sensations and tastes. So when you evoke these neglected senses in writing, it feels all the more real! 

I hope you enjoyed the list of scents! I had a lot of fun brainstorming them. If you want an easy writing prompt to get your creative juices flowing, pick a smell at random and write a little about it. 🙂 

If you could use more writing inspiration…

check out my book Master Lists for Writers! (If you’re a writer and you’re on TikTok, you might’ve seen this before.) It has all kinds of lists for facial expressions, body language, gestures, physical appearance, emotions, and much more. 

Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

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