tarnish
/ˈtɑɹnɪʃ/noun, verb
tarnish is spelled T-A-R-N-I-S-H: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tarnish means “Oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tarnish is tarnishes.
How many letters and syllables are in tarnish?
| Letters | 7: T-A-R-N-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tarnish?
Tarnish appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th 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 tarnish?
- UK /ˈtɑːnɪʃ/
- US /ˈtɑɹnɪʃ/
Tarnish has 2 syllables (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-us-tarnish.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tarnish?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tarnish (/ɑɹnɪʃ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: trishna.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tarnish
- tarnishes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tarnishing participle, present
- tarnished participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tarnish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air.
verb
- 1
To oxidize or discolor due to oxidation.
Careful storage of silver will prevent it from tarnishing.
- 2
To compromise, damage, soil, or sully.
He is afraid that she will tarnish his reputation if he disagrees with her.
- 3
To lose its lustre or attraction; to become dull.
- 4
To use a sign, image, expression, etc. sufficiently close to a trademarked one that it brings disrepute to it.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tarnish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Anlaufen, Mattieren, Beschlagen , anlaufen, matt werden, beschlagen |
| Portuguese | oxidação , oxidar , manchar, ofuscar |
| French | ternir |
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.
Where does tarnish come from?
From Middle English ternysshen, from Old French terniss-, stem of ternir (“to make dim, make wan”), borrowed from Old High German *ternen, tarnen, from Proto-West Germanic *darnijan (“to conceal”). Doublet of dern and darn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).