banish

/ˈbænɪʃ/

//ˈbænɪʃ// verb

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

"banish" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“banish” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,338. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,338
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To send (someone) away and forbid them from returning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-banish · banish · English

banish · rank #26,338 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,338
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bateman

Nearest frequency peer: Bateman (+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 “banish”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “banish” 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).

banish vs bash
67% similar
banish vs bans
67% similar
banish vs basis
67% similar

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

Key facts for banish
PropertyValue
Headwordbanish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbænɪʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,338
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “banish”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).banishlands 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 “Bateman” (#26,339), “battleground” (#26,340), “averted” (#26,335). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “banish” is #26,338. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around banish (IPA /ˈbænɪʃ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #26,338 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for banish, with forms such as "abnish", "bainsh", and "banihs". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "bash", "bans", "basis", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is banish, spelled B-A-N-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To send (someone) away and forbid them from returning.
  2. 2
    To expel, especially from the mind.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was banished from the kingdom for his crimes.
  2. The parsnip, stilton and chestnut combination may taste good, but it's not terribly decorative. In fact, dull's the word, a lingering adjectival ghost of nut roasts past that I'm keen to banish from the table.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

desterrar(Español)bannir(Français)verbannen(Deutsch)expulsar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abnish
  • bainsh
  • banihs
  • banishh
  • banissh
  • bannish
  • bansih
  • bbanish
  • bnaish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of banish - 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.

abnish2bainsh2banihs2banishh1banissh1bannish1bansih2bbanish1
Edit distance from "banish"

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 "banish"?
"banish" is spelled B-A-N-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbænɪʃ/.
What does "banish" mean?
As a verb, "banish" means: To send (someone) away and forbid them from returning.
What words are commonly confused with "banish"?
"banish" is commonly confused with "bash", "bans", "basis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "banish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "banish" is /ˈbænɪʃ/. 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 "banish"?
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. 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 "banish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aortic#26,331CAPCOM#26,358carlin#26,360wearer#26,305

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

bellows9 variantsBohemia9 variantsAdriana9 variantscloves9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list