relish

/ˈɹɛlɪʃ/

//ˈɹɛlɪʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“relish” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,188. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,188
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this.

Corpus desk

Index EN-relish · relish · English

relish · rank #19,188 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,188
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH relapse

Nearest frequency peer: relapse (-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 “relish”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “relish” 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).

relish vs Revis
50% similar
relish vs resist
67% similar
relish vs revise
67% similar

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

Key facts for relish
PropertyValue
Headwordrelish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɛlɪʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#19,188
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “relish”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).relishlands 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 “relapse” (#19,187), “rendezvous” (#19,189), “reindeer” (#19,186). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “relish” is #19,188. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around relish (IPA /ˈɹɛlɪʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,188 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for relish, with forms such as "erlish", "reilsh", and "relihs". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "Revis", "resist", "revise", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is a variant of release (“(obsolete) odour, scent”), from Middle English reles, relese (“odour, scent; taste; efficacy, power”), probably from Anglo-Norman reles, relais, or Old French reles, relais (“that which is left behind, remainder, residue”)… The correct English form is relish, spelled R-E-L-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this.
  2. 2
    Followed by for: one's liking or taste for something; a fondness.
  3. 3
    A small amount; a tinge, a trace.
  4. 4
    Ability to taste or (figurative) enjoy.
  5. 5
    Particular quality; (countable) an instance of this; a characteristic or quality.
  6. 6
    Enjoyment of flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this.
  7. 7
    Enjoyment of something pleasant; (countable) an instance of this.
  8. 8
    Appetizing or pleasant flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this.
  9. 9
    Pleasant quality; (countable) an instance of this.
  10. 10
    A savoury dish or course of dishes, especially one accompanying rather than forming the main part of a meal; an appetizer, a side dish.
  11. 11
    A savoury dish or course of dishes, especially one accompanying rather than forming the main part of a meal; an appetizer, a side dish.
  12. 12
    A condiment or sauce added to food for a spicy or tangy flavour; specifically, one made with chopped, pickled fruit or vegetables.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Much pleasure we have lost while we abstained / From this delightful fruit, nor known till now / True relish, tasting.
  2. The Caſe is the ſame if the Object, proper for exciting any Senſation, has never been apply'd to the Organ. A Laplander or Negro has no Notion of the reliſh of VVine.

Etymology

The noun is a variant of release (“(obsolete) odour, scent”), from Middle English reles, relese (“odour, scent; taste; efficacy, power”), probably from Anglo-Norman reles, relais, or Old French reles, relais (“that which is left behind, remainder, residue”), from relaisser, relaschier (“to liberate, release; to relax”) (modern French relâcher), from Latin relaxāre, the present active infinitive of relaxō (“to stretch out or widen again, loosen, slacken; (figurative) to ease, relax”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again; back, backwards’) + laxō (“to release, undo; to relax”) (from laxus (“spacious, wide; loose, slack”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg- (“to slacken; to tire out”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Doublet of release. The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

relish(Français)Aroma(Deutsch)gosto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erlish
  • reilsh
  • relihs
  • relishh
  • relissh
  • rellish
  • relsih
  • rleish
  • rrelish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of relish - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

erlish2reilsh2relihs2relishh1relissh1rellish1relsih2rleish2
Edit distance from "relish"

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 "relish"?
"relish" is spelled R-E-L-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛlɪʃ/.
What does "relish" mean?
As a noun, "relish" means: Flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this.
What words are commonly confused with "relish"?
"relish" is commonly confused with "Revis", "resist", "revise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "relish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "relish" is /ˈɹɛlɪʃ/. 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 "relish"?
The noun is a variant of release (“(obsolete) odour, scent”), from Middle English reles, relese (“odour, scent; taste; efficacy, power”), probably from Anglo-Norman reles, relais, or Old French reles, relais (“that which is left behind, remainder,... 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 "relish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Psalms#19,177primal#19,174sensed#19,202potion#19,169

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

skater9 variantsphoton9 variantsperish9 variantsstares9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list