# vanish

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈvænɪʃ/ · frequency rank #17,515

## Definitions
1. To become invisible or to move out of view unnoticed.
2. To become equal to zero.
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)”).

## Easily confused with
- **vanity** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vanish-vs-vanity)
- **varnish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vanish-vs-varnish)
- **vanished** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vanish-vs-vanished)
- **vanquish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vanish-vs-vanquish)

## Common misspellings (9)
`avnish`, `vainsh`, `vanihs`, `vanishh`, `vanissh`, `vannish`, `vansih`, `vnaish`, `vvanish`

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