One syllable: flush.
fluhsh
/flʌʃ/
flush is pronounced fluhsh (/flʌʃ/). It has one syllable (flush), with the stress on "flush". Flush refers to a sudden reddening of the face or skin due to emotion or heat, or to the act of cleaning something with a stream of liquid. It also appears in phrases like “flush out” (to drive out) and “flush with cash” (abounding). In short, it covers a color/appearance change and a verb meaning to cleanse or level out water or items. The core sense combines a quick, even action with a visible, uniform result.
Flush refers to a sudden reddening of the face or skin due to emotion or heat, or to the act of cleaning something with a stream of liquid. It also appears in phrases like “flush out” (to drive out) and “flush with cash” (abounding). In short, it covers a color/appearance change and a verb meaning to cleanse or level out water or items. The core sense combines a quick, even action with a visible, uniform result.
- Not articulating the /ʃ/ clearly; the ending may sound like /ʒ/ or disappear. Fix: practice a short, tight /ʃ/ by keeping the tongue blade near the palate and pushing air through a narrow channel. - Vowel misproduction: confuse /ʌ/ with /ə/ or /ɒ/. Fix: hold a short, mid-central /ʌ/ and avoid diphthongization in slow speech. - Slurred transition between /l/ and /ʃ/: some learners insert a vowel. Fix: practice with a tongue-tinger drill to connect /l/ to /ʃ/ without a vowel, thinking ‘fl-lsh’ in a single beat.
"Her cheeks turned bright red after the sun hit her face, a clear flush rising."
"Cleaning the drain required you to flush the toilet and then scrub the bowl."
"The fountain’s water would flush into the channel, keeping the system clear."
Pronounce it as /flʌʃ/. The initial consonants are a clean /f/ followed by /l/ with the tongue near the alveolar ridge, then a short, lax vowel /ʌ/ (like ‘cup’), and final /ʃ/ as in ‘shh’. Stress is on the only syllable. You’ll want a quick release into /ʃ/ with a rounded, slightly forward lip position for the /ʃ/. Think: ‘fluhsh’ with a crisp end sound. Audio references: you can compare on Forvo or Cambridge online dictionary entries labeled US/UK/AU.”,
Two common errors: (1) Not finishing with /ʃ/—you might say /flʌ/ or end with a soft /ʒ/ sound; ensure you keep a clear /ʃ/ by letting the tongue blade glide toward the postalveolar region. (2) Over-lengthening the vowel /ʌ/ in careful speech, producing /fləʃ/ or /flɒʃ/; keep a short, lax /ʌ/ consistent with a swift, single syllable. Practicing with minimal pairs can fix these: /flʊʃ/ is not typical; aim for /flʌʃ/.
In US, UK, and AU, flush remains a single syllable /flʌʃ/. The main differences are vowel length and subtle vowel quality: US tends to a slightly more centralized /ʌ/; UK and AU can show a marginally higher tongue position and crisper /ʃ/. Rhoticity does not affect flush as it’s not a rhotic vowel, but connected speech may reduce the vowel in rapid utterances. The /ʃ/ is consistently a retroflex-like friction sound across accents. IPA guidance remains /flʌʃ/ for all three.
The challenge with flush lies in the precise tongue and lip coordination for /fl/ onset and /ʃ/ coda, especially the quick transition from the liquid /l/ to the post-alveolar fricative /ʃ/. Additionally, the short, lax /ʌ/ vowel can be mispronounced as /ɜː/ or /ə/ in faster speech. Speakers often reduce the vowel or merge with a preceding consonant, blurring the boundary between /fl/ and /ʃ/. Maintaining a clean, single-syllable release makes the word sound natural. Slower practice with attention to tongue blade position helps significantly.
Flush is notable for its compact, single-syllable structure made up of a labiodental fricative /f/, a lateral /l/, and a postalveolar fricative /ʃ/. The challenge is coordinating the /l/ with the following /ʃ/ without inserting a vowel between them, which some non-native speakers inadvertently do. Tight lip rounding is minimal, and the /ʃ/ must be crisp. This combination requires precise timing and a quick, clean release to avoid sounding like /fluʒ/ or /flɑʃ/.
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- US: /flʌʃ/ with a slightly tensed /ʌ/; keep /l/ light but distinct. - UK: /flʌʃ/ and a crisper /ʃ/; may sound more clipped in rapid speech. - AU: similar to US/UK, but may be slightly more open vowels in casual speech; keep /ʃ/ precise. All: avoid adding vowel after /l/; keep it as a quick glide into /ʃ/, ensuring the final sound is not weakened. IPA anchors: /f/·/l/·/ʌ/·/ʃ/.
The word flush comes from Old French flushed, from enclothed stem flechir, meaning to bend or bend back, with the modern sense of ‘to redden’ arising in the late Middle English period. It is related to Dutch vlosse and German fliessen in older stages, connected to the idea of flowing or being filled evenly. Historically, flush acquired its cleaning sense in the sense of “to even out by forcing liquid through,” as seen in plumbing and irrigation, while the facial reddening sense developed metaphorically from the idea of a uniform, all-at-once bloom. First known use in English literature appears in the 13th–14th centuries in contexts describing color and surface evenness, with the cleaning sense becoming more prominent by the 17th–18th centuries as modern hygiene practices emerged. The word has maintained closely related senses in idioms like flush out and flush with, where uniformity and abundance are central semantic ideas.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "flush" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "flush" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "flush"
-ush sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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