anguish

/ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/

//ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"anguish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anguish” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,757. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,757
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Extreme pain, either of body or mind; excruciating distress.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anguish · anguish · English

anguish · rank #17,757 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #17,757
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ambiguity

Nearest frequency peer: ambiguity (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “anguish”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “anguish” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

anguish vs Angus
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for anguish
PropertyValue
Headwordanguish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#17,757
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anguish”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).anguishlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “ambiguity” (#17,756), “annals” (#17,758), “als” (#17,755). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anguish” is #17,757. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around anguish (IPA /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,757 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Extreme pain, either of body or mind; excruciating distress.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for anguish, with forms such as "agnuish", "angguish", and "angiush". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Angus", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English angwissh, anguishe, angoise, from Anglo-Norman anguise, anguisse, from Old French angoisse, from Latin angustia (“narrowness, scarcity, difficulty, distress”), from angustus (“narrow, difficult”), from angere (“to press together, cause p… The correct English form is anguish, spelled A-N-G-U-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Extreme pain, either of body or mind; excruciating distress.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how anguish appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. So, ye miserable people; you must go to God in anguishes, and make your prayer to him.
  2. Is there no play, To ease the anguish of a torturing hour?

Etymology

From Middle English angwissh, anguishe, angoise, from Anglo-Norman anguise, anguisse, from Old French angoisse, from Latin angustia (“narrowness, scarcity, difficulty, distress”), from angustus (“narrow, difficult”), from angere (“to press together, cause pain, distress”). See angst, the Germanic cognate, and anger.

This word in other languages

angustia(Español)calvaire(Français)Kreuz(Deutsch)agonia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agnuish
  • angguish
  • angiush
  • anguihs
  • anguishh
  • anguissh
  • angusih
  • annguish
  • anugish
  • naguish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of anguish - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

agnuish2angguish1angiush2anguihs2anguishh1anguissh1angusih2annguish1
Edit distance from "anguish"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anguish"?
"anguish" is spelled A-N-G-U-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/.
What does "anguish" mean?
As a noun, "anguish" means: Extreme pain, either of body or mind; excruciating distress.
What words are commonly confused with "anguish"?
"anguish" is commonly confused with "Angus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anguish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anguish" is /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "anguish"?
From Middle English angwissh, anguishe, angoise, from Anglo-Norman anguise, anguisse, from Old French angoisse, from Latin angustia (“narrowness, scarcity, difficulty, distress”), from angustus (“narrow, difficult”), from angere (“to press togethe... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "anguish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

adorned#17,753Beyoncé#17,768Tristan#17,740buildup#17,779

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

affluent10 variantstreatise10 variantstainted10 variantssuffrage10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list