# finish

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ · frequency rank #1,305

## Definitions
1. An end; the end of anything.
2. A protective coating given to wood or metal and other surfaces.
3. The result of any process changing the physical or chemical properties of cloth.
4. A finishing touch; careful elaboration; polish.
5. A shot on goal, especially one that ends in a goal.
6. The ending of a match and its structure.

## Etymology
From Middle English finishen, finisshen, finischen, from Old French finiss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of finir, from Latin fīnīre, from fīnis (“end, limit, border, boundary”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”) or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”).

## Easily confused with
- **fish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-fish)
- **fins** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-fins)
- **Finns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-finns)
- **finite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-finite)
- **Finnish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-finnish)
- **furnish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-furnish)
- **finished** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-finished)
- **finishes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-finishes)
- **finisher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finish-vs-finisher)
- **finds** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finds-vs-finish)
- **fines** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fines-vs-finish)
- **finch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finch-vs-finish)
- **finest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/finest-vs-finish)
- **fetish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fetish-vs-finish)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ffinish`, `fiinsh`, `finihs`, `finishh`, `finissh`, `finsih`, `fniish`, `ifnish`

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