vanish

/ˈvænɪʃ/

//ˈvænɪʃ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“vanish” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,515 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#17,515
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To become invisible or to move out of view unnoticed.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

vanish vs vanity
67% similar
vanish vs varnish
86% similar
vanish vs vanished
75% similar

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

Key facts for vanish
PropertyValue
Headwordvanish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈvænɪʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,515
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “vanish” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). vanish lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for vanish is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvænɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,515 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for vanish, with forms such as "avnish", "vainsh", and "vanihs". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "vanity", "varnish", "vanished", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Aphetic for obsolete evanish, from Middle English vanyshen, evaneschen, from Old French esvanir, esvaniss- (modern French évanouir), from Vulgar Latin *exvanire (“to vanish, disappear, to fade out”), from Latin evanescere, from vanus (“empty”). Doublet of e… The correct English form is vanish, spelled V-A-N-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To become invisible or to move out of view unnoticed.
  2. 2
    To become equal to zero.
  3. 3
    To disappear; to kidnap.

Etymology

Aphetic for obsolete evanish, from Middle English vanyshen, evaneschen, from Old French esvanir, esvaniss- (modern French évanouir), from Vulgar Latin *exvanire (“to vanish, disappear, to fade out”), from Latin evanescere, from vanus (“empty”). Doublet of evanesce. Displaced native Old English cwincan, whose causative persists as quench (“put out (fire)”).

Synonyms

disappear

This word in other languages

desvanecerse(Español)disparaître(Français)verschwinden(Deutsch)desaparecer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: avnish,vainsh,vanihs,vanishh,vanissh,vannish,vansih,vnaish,vvanish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vanish - 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.

avnish2vainsh2vanihs2vanishh1vanissh1vannish1vansih2vnaish2
Edit distance from "vanish"

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 "vanish"?
"vanish" is spelled V-A-N-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvænɪʃ/.
What does "vanish" mean?
As a verb, "vanish" means: To become invisible or to move out of view unnoticed.
What words are commonly confused with "vanish"?
"vanish" is commonly confused with "vanity", "varnish", "vanished". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vanish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vanish" is /ˈvænɪʃ/. 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 "vanish"?
Aphetic for obsolete evanish, from Middle English vanyshen, evaneschen, from Old French esvanir, esvaniss- (modern French évanouir), from Vulgar Latin *exvanire (“to vanish, disappear, to fade out”), from Latin evanescere, from vanus (“empty”). Do... 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.

Using “vanish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is V-A-N-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈvænɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “vanity” - see the side-by-side comparison. vanish vs vanity
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list