# anguish

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/ · frequency rank #17,757

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

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **Angus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anguish-vs-angus)

## Common misspellings (10)
`agnuish`, `angguish`, `angiush`, `anguihs`, `anguishh`, `anguissh`, `angusih`, `annguish`, `anugish`, `naguish`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/anguish