# finch

> English word · Noun · IPA /fɪnt͡ʃ/ · frequency rank #13,917

## Definitions
1. Any Eurasian goldfinch (of species Carduelis carduelis, syn. Fringilla carduelis).
2. Any bird of the family Fringillidae, seed-eating passerine birds, native chiefly to the Northern Hemisphere and usually having a conical beak.
3. Any bird of other families of similar appearance to members of family Fringillidae.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ping-
Proto-Germanic *finkiz
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ping-
Proto-Germanic *finkô
Old English finċ
Middle English fynch
English finch
From Middle English fynch, from Old English finċ, from Proto-West Germanic *finki, from Proto-Germanic *finkiz (compare Dutch vink, German Fink), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pingos (“chaffinch”). Compare Welsh pinc (“finch”), Ancient Greek σπίγγος (spíngos, “chaffinch”), Russian пе́нка (pénka, “wren”), Sanskrit फिङ्गक (phiṅgaka, “drongo, shrike”).

## Easily confused with
- **FNC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fnc)
- **find** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-find)
- **fine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fine)
- **fish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fish)
- **Finn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-finn)
- **fins** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fins)
- **fink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fink)
- **finds** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-finds)
- **fines** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fines)
- **fined** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fined)
- **finer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-finer)
- **fitch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fitch)
- **firth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-firth)
- **Finns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-finns)
- **French** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-french)
- **finish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-finish)
- **flinch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-flinch)
- **fintech** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-fintech)
- **fin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fin-vs-finch)
- **fic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fic-vs-finch)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ffinch`, `ficnh`, `fincch`, `finchh`, `finhc`, `finnch`, `fnich`, `ifnch`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/finch