banish
/ˈbænɪʃ/verb
banish is spelled B-A-N-I-S-H: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, banish means “To send (someone) away and forbid them from returning” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in banish?
| Letters | 6: B-A-N-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is banish?
Banish appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce banish?
- /ˈbænɪʃ/
Banish has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-banish.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of banish
- banishes present, singular, he/she/it
- banishing participle, present
- banished participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does banish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To send (someone) away and forbid them from returning.
He was banished from the kingdom for his crimes.
- 2
To expel, especially from the mind.
to banish fear; to banish a qualm
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Banish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bannir |
| German | verbannen, herauswerfen , vertreiben |
| Portuguese | banir, expulsar |
| Spanish | desterrar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does banish come from?
From Middle English banishen, from Old French baniss-, extended stem of banir (“to proclaim, ban, banish”), of Germanic origin and Old English bannan, from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“curse, forbid”). Compare French bannir. Doublet of ban.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).