Can You Describe This Smell? | Otherwords

23 Jun 2026
Humans can differentiate as many as a TRILLION different odors, and yet of all the senses, we have the fewest number of words for SMELLS… why is that?

Otherwords is a PBS web series on Storied that digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and finds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fields of biology, history, cultural studies, literature, and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective on what it means to be human.

Host: Erica Brozovsky, Ph.D.
Creator/Director: Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham
Writer: Erica Brozovsky, Ph.D.
Producer: Katie Graham
Editor/Animation: Dano Johnson
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy

Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

sources:
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Majid, Asifa, and Niclas Burenhult. “Odors are expressible in language, as long as you speak the right language.” Cognition 130.2 (2014): 266-270.
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