How to pronounce finish
Say it like FIN-ish. Finish has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FIN).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce finish. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FIN
- ish
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Finish pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FINSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- ishKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of finish
American and British speakers say finish in essentially the same way: /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ in the US and /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ in the UK.
British respelling: FIN-ish.
What does finish mean?
- come or bring to a finish or an end“He finished the dishes”“She completed the requirements for her Master's Degree”
- finally be or do something“He ended up marrying his high school sweetheart”“he wound up being unemployed and living at home again”
- have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical“the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed”“Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other”
- a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)“the boat had a metallic finish”“he applied a coat of a clear finish”
- the temporal end; the concluding time“the stopping point of each round was signaled by a bell”“the market was up at the finish”
- a highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality“they performed with great polish”“I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose”
Where does finish come from?
From Middle English finishen, finisshen, finischen, from Old French finiss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of finir, from Latin fīnīre, from fīnis (“end, limit, border, boundary”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stic
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with finish
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of finish.
Questions about saying finish
How do you pronounce finish?
Say FIN-ish. The American pronunciation is /ˈfɪnɪʃ/. In British English it is /ˈfɪnɪʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in finish?
Finish has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FIN). Broken into parts: FIN · ish.
Do Americans and Brits say finish the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ and the British form is /ˈfɪnɪʃ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.