swish
/swɪʃ/adjective, noun, verb, interjection
swish is spelled S-W-I-S-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, swish means “sophisticated; fashionable; smooth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in swish?
| Letters | 5: S-W-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,236th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is swish?
Swish appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce swish?
- /swɪʃ/
Swish has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-swish.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of swish
- swisher comparative
- more swish comparative
- swishest superlative
- most swish superlative
- swishes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- swishing participle, present
- swished participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does swish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
UKcolloquialsophisticated; fashionable; smooth.
This restaurant looks very swish – it even has linen tablecloths.
- 2
Attractive, stylish
- 3
Effeminate.
noun
- 1
A short rustling, hissing or whistling sound, often made by friction.
- 2
A hissing, sweeping movement through the air, as of an animal's tail.
- 3
A sound of liquid flowing, especially inside a container.
- 4
A twig or bundle of twigs, used for administering beatings; a switch
- 5
A successful basketball shot that does not touch the rim or backboard.
- 6
A rapid or careless attacking stroke by the batter.
- 7
slangAn effeminate male homosexual.
- 8
slangEffeminacy, effeminate or homosexual demeanor.
He got a little swish downriver.
verb
- 1
To make a rustling sound while moving.
The cane swishes.
- 2
To flourish with a swishing sound.
to swish a cane back and forth
- 3
datedslangTo flog; to lash.
- 4
To make a successful basketball shot that does not touch the rim or backboard.
- 5
slangTo mince or otherwise to behave in an effeminate manner.
I shall not swish; I'll merely act limp-wristed.
- 6
To cause a liquid to move around in a container, or in one's mouth.
Swish the mouthwash around the mouth and between the teeth for one minute.
interjection
- 1
A hissing or whistling sound of something travelling quickly through the air.
- 2
The sound of a basketball going in the hoop.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Swish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chic, doux, en vogue, lisse , bruisser |
| Spanish | sofisticado, refinado |
| Portuguese | xuá |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.