extinguish

/ɪkˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/

//ɪkˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ// verb

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

"extinguish" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“extinguish” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,453. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,453
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To stop (fire, etc.) from burning; also, to stop (light, etc.) from shining; to put out, to quench.

Corpus desk

Index EN-extinguish · extinguish · English

extinguish · rank #27,453 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,453
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH evasive

Nearest frequency peer: evasive (-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 “extinguish”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “extinguish” 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).

extinguish vs extinguished
83% similar
extinguish vs extinguisher
83% similar

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

Key facts for extinguish
PropertyValue
Headwordextinguish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪkˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#27,453
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “extinguish”

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).extinguishlands 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 “evasive” (#27,452), “fas” (#27,454), “Fayetteville” (#27,455). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “extinguish” is #27,453. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around extinguish (IPA /ɪkˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #27,453 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for extinguish, with forms such as "etxinguish", "exitnguish", and "extignuish". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "extinguished", "extinguisher", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin extinguo (“to put out (what is burning), quench, extinguish, deprive of life, destroy, abolish”), from ex (“out”) + stinguere (“to put out, quench, extinguish”). Doublet of extinct. The correct English form is extinguish, spelled E-X-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To stop (fire, etc.) from burning; also, to stop (light, etc.) from shining; to put out, to quench.
  2. 2
    To eclipse or obscure (someone or something).
  3. 3
    To kill (someone).
  4. 4
    To put an end to (something) completely; to annihilate, to destroy.
  5. 5
    To put an end to (something) completely; to annihilate, to destroy.
  6. 6
    To suppress (something, as feelings, a person's spirit, a state of affairs, etc.); to quench.
  7. 7
    To abolish or make void (a law, a legal right, etc.); also, to cancel (a creditor's claim, a licence, etc.).
  8. 8
    To die out.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A beauty that extinguishes all others by comparison
  2. The rays of the sun were extinguished by the thunder clouds.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin extinguo (“to put out (what is burning), quench, extinguish, deprive of life, destroy, abolish”), from ex (“out”) + stinguere (“to put out, quench, extinguish”). Doublet of extinct.

This word in other languages

extinguir(Español)éteindre(Français)löschen(Deutsch)apagar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etxinguish
  • exitnguish
  • extignuish
  • extingguish
  • extingiush
  • extinguihs
  • extinguishh
  • extinguissh
  • extingusih
  • extinnguish
  • extinugish
  • extniguish
  • exttinguish
  • exxtinguish
  • xetinguish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etxinguish2exitnguish2extignuish2extingguish1extingiush2extinguihs2extinguishh1extinguissh1
Edit distance from "extinguish"

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 "extinguish"?
"extinguish" is spelled E-X-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/.
What does "extinguish" mean?
As a verb, "extinguish" means: To stop (fire, etc.) from burning; also, to stop (light, etc.) from shining; to put out, to quench.
What words are commonly confused with "extinguish"?
"extinguish" is commonly confused with "extinguished", "extinguisher". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "extinguish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "extinguish" is /ɪkˈstɪŋ.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 "extinguish"?
Borrowed from Latin extinguo (“to put out (what is burning), quench, extinguish, deprive of life, destroy, abolish”), from ex (“out”) + stinguere (“to put out, quench, extinguish”). Doublet of extinct. 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 "extinguish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

federalist#27,457forfeiture#27,465dumbledore#27,440discreetly#27,434

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

derivation15 variantsgraciously15 variantschildrens15 variantsinsatiable15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list