distinguish
dis·tin·guish/dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/verb
distinguish is spelled D-I-S-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H, 3 syllables: dis·tin·guish. The wrong spelling people search most is distingish: about 10 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 128 of all searches for the word. Distinguish is a verb meaning “To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics”.
How many letters and syllables are in distinguish?
| Letters | 11: D-I-S-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: dis·tin·guish |
| In writing | 7.4 times per million words; the 8,669th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, distingish, about 10 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell distinguish?
Distinguish is spelled D-I-S-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 128 of the searches for distinguish in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is distinguish?
Distinguish appears 7.4 times per million words in written English, the 8,669th 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 distinguish?
- /dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/
Distinguish has 3 syllables, split dis·tin·guish in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-distinguish.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of distinguish
- distinguishes present, singular, he/she/it
- distinguishing participle, present
- distinguished participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does distinguish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics.
- 2
To see someone or something clearly or distinctly.
- 3
To make noticeably different or better from others through accomplishments.
The soldier distinguished himself in combat and received a medal.
- 4
To confer an honor upon.
The soldier was distinguished with a medal for his bravery.
- 5
obsoleteTo make to differ.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Distinguish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | distinguer |
| German | unterscheiden , erkennen , sich auszeichnen |
| Portuguese | distinguir |
| Spanish | distinguir |
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 distinguish come from?
From Middle English distingwen, from Old French distinguer, from Latin distinguere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, set off, adorn, literally mark off”), from di-, dis- (“apart”) + stinguere, related to English stink. Compare extinguish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).