2 syllables: ban, ish. Stress on ban.
BAN-ish
/ˈbænɪʃ/
banish is pronounced BAN-ish (/ˈbænɪʃ/). It has two syllables (ban-ish), with the stress on "ban". Banish means to expel or drive away, often by authoritative order or force, or to erase something from one’s memory or presence. It denotes removing someone or something from a place or situation, sometimes with permanent effect. In standard usage, banish implies formal or enforced exclusion rather than voluntary departure.
Banish means to expel or drive away, often by authoritative order or force, or to erase something from one’s memory or presence. It denotes removing someone or something from a place or situation, sometimes with permanent effect. In standard usage, banish implies formal or enforced exclusion rather than voluntary departure.
- Misplacing stress: Treat BAN-ish as the stressed syllable. Say it as /ˈbænɪʃ/, not /ˌbæˈnɪʃ/ or /ˈbeɪ.nɪʃ/. - Vowel length and quality: Don’t lengthen the /æ/ into /æː/ or reduce it to a schwa. Keep it short and crisp. - Final /ʃ/ articulation: Some speakers slur into /s/ or hard sh /tʃ/. Focus on a clean, single /ʃ/ after /ɪ/. - Linking and consonant clusters: Avoid overemphasizing the /n/ so that it sounds like /bn/ combo; let /æ/ lead smoothly into /n/ then into /ɪ/ and /ʃ/. - Intonation: In sentential speech, the word often carries the main verb stress, so ensure your sentence rhythm supports the first-syllable emphasis.
"The council voted to banish the stray dogs from the park."
"Old superstitions were banished as science gained credibility."
"The king issued a decree to banish the traitor from the realm."
Pronounce it as /ˈbæn.ɪʃ/. The first syllable has primary stress: BAN. The vowel in the first syllable is a short open front /æ/ as in ‘cat.’ The second syllable uses /ɪ/, followed by the /ʃ/ sound. Think ‘BAN-ISH,’ with a quick, clean transition between syllables. Mouth position: lips neutral to slight rounding on /b/, tongue high-front for /æ/, quick tongue-drop to /ɪ/, and a gentle shushing /ʃ/ at the end. IPA: US /ˈbænɪʃ/, UK /ˈbænɪʃ/, AU /ˈbænɪʃ/.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (saying baNISH instead of BAN-ISH) and turning /ɪ/ into a schwa or a longer vowel. Some speakers also vocalize it as 'ban- ish' with an elongated second syllable. To correct: keep primary stress on first syllable, use a short /ɪ/ (not a full vowel like /iː/), and finish with a clean /ʃ/. Practice by isolating /ɪʃ/ and ensuring the /n/ links smoothly into /ɪ/ before /ʃ/.
Across accents, the /ˈbæn/ onset stays consistent, but rhoticity doesn’t affect the ending. In US and UK, the /æ/ is a short trap vowel with similar quality, but some UK speakers may slightly raise the vowel before /n/ depending on dialect. The final /ʃ/ remains a post-alveolar sibilant across these accents. Australian English tends to be non-rhotic with a similar /æ/ but can show a marginally closer vowel before /n/ and a slightly softer /ʃ/. Overall, the main variance is subtle vowel quality rather than consonant change.
The difficulty lies in the short, clipped /æ/ followed by a quick /n/ and a crisp /ʃ/. Some speakers insert an extra vowel between /n/ and /ʃ/, producing /ˈbæ.nə.ʃɪʃ/. Coaching focus: keep /æ/ compact, avoid inserting a schwa, and land the /ʃ/ firmly. Practice with minimal pairs that emphasize the /æ/-/eɪ/ distinction and a rapid but clean transition between syllables.
A distinctive aspect is the two-syllable structure with stress on the first syllable and a final /ʃ/ that comes after a short, lax /ɪ/. Unlike many two-syllable verbs in English that shift stress, banish retains fixed primary stress on the first syllable, making it sound decisive when spoken in formal or narrative contexts. Emphasize the /æ/ quality and the neat /ɪʃ/ sequence to ensure clarity.
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- US: Clear /æ/ vowel; non-rhotic or rhotic? US is rhotic, but /banɪʃ/ keeps /r/ not involved. Focus on a crisp /æ/ and a light /ɪ/ before /ʃ/. - UK: Similar /æ/; keep the /n/ light and the /ʃ/ near-silent release; may sound slightly more clipped due to British compact vowels. - AU: Slightly broader vowel space; /æ/ may sound a touch more open; final /ʃ/ retained; stress remains on first syllable. Use IPA reference /ˈbænɪʃ/ across all regions and adjust vowel space per accent.
Banish originates from Middle French bannir, from Old French ban-, ban (ban/forbidden), linked to Germanic roots related to ‘to proclaim prohibition’. The form banir appears in 15th century French, then borrowed into English as banish by the 15th–16th centuries. The semantic core centers on prohibition, expulsion, or exclusion; over time, it broadened to include figurative senses such as erasing doubts or memories. Historically, the word carried legal and religious connotations, often used in royal edicts or ecclesiastical decrees to denote removal from a community or sanctuary. By the Early Modern period, banish appeared in literature with both literal (exile) and metaphorical senses (banishing fear or guilt). The evolution reflects social authority and moral sanction, with the sense of “drive away” maintaining a strong directive force. First known uses appear in parliamentary and legal contexts in Middle English and Early Modern English texts, with parallel forms in continental Romance languages reinforcing the taboo aspect of the term.
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Words that rhyme with "banish"
-ish sounds
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