# wish

> English word · Noun · IPA /wɪʃ/ · frequency rank #685

## Definitions
1. A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.
2. An expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power.
3. The thing desired or longed for.
4. A water meadow.

## Etymology
From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English wȳsċan (“to wish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish, love”).
Cognate with Scots wis (“to wish”), Saterland Frisian wonskje (“to wish”), West Frisian winskje (“to wish”), Dutch wensen (“to wish”), German wünschen (“to wish”), Luxembourgish wënschen (“to wish”), Yiddish ווינטשן (vintshn, “to wish”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål ønske (“to wish”), Faroese ynskja (“to wish, to desire”), Icelandic æskja, óska (“to wish”), Norwegian Nynorsk ønskja, ønskje, ønska, ønske, ynskja, ynskje (“to wish, to desire”), Swedish önska (“to wish”). Via PIE cognate with Latin Venus, veneror (“venerate, honour, love”), English wonder.

## Easily confused with
- **WS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-ws)
- **wit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wit)
- **wiz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wiz)
- **WSJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wsj)
- **WTH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wth)
- **WSU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wsu)
- **with** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-with)
- **woah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-woah)
- **wits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wits)
- **Witt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-witt)
- **wisp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wisp)
- **witch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-witch)
- **wrist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wrist)
- **wishes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wishes)
- **wished** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wish-vs-wished)
- **wi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wi-vs-wish)
- **was** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wish)
- **win** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/win-vs-wish)
- **Wii** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wii-vs-wish)
- **wig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wig-vs-wish)

## Common misspellings (6)
`iwsh`, `wihs`, `wishh`, `wissh`, `wsih`, `wwish`

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