famish

/ˈfamɪʃ/

//ˈfamɪʃ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“famish” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To starve (to death); to kill or destroy with hunger.

Key facts for famish
PropertyValue
Headwordfamish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈfamɪʃ/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “famish” sits in English frequency

famish falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for famish is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfamɪʃ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for famish in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English famisshe, from famen (“starve”), from Old French afamer, ultimately from Latin famēs (“hunger”). Compare affamish, famine. Cognate with Spanish hambre (“hunger”). The correct English form is famish, spelled F-A-M-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To starve (to death); to kill or destroy with hunger.
  2. 2
    To exhaust the strength or endurance of, by hunger; to cause to be very hungry.
  3. 3
    To kill, or to cause great suffering to, by depriving or denying anything necessary.
  4. 4
    To force, control, or constrain by famine.
  5. 5
    To die of hunger; to starve to death.
  6. 6
    To suffer extreme hunger or thirst, so as to be exhausted in strength, or to nearly perish.
  7. 7
    To suffer extremity from deprivation of anything essential or necessary.

Etymology

From Middle English famisshe, from famen (“starve”), from Old French afamer, ultimately from Latin famēs (“hunger”). Compare affamish, famine. Cognate with Spanish hambre (“hunger”).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "famish"?
"famish" is spelled F-A-M-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfamɪʃ/.
What does "famish" mean?
As a verb, "famish" means: To starve (to death); to kill or destroy with hunger.
How do you pronounce "famish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "famish" is /ˈfamɪʃ/. 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 "famish"?
From Middle English famisshe, from famen (“starve”), from Old French afamer, ultimately from Latin famēs (“hunger”). Compare affamish, famine. Cognate with Spanish hambre (“hunger”). 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.

Using “famish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-M-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfamɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list