How to pronounce garish
Say it like GHER-ish. Garish has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (GHER).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce garish. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- GHER
- ish
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Garish pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- GHERSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- ishKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of garish
American and British speakers say garish in essentially the same way: /ˈɡɛrɪʃ/ in the US and /ˈɡɛərɪʃ/ in the UK.
British respelling: GAIR-rish.
What does garish mean?
- Overly ostentatious; so colorful as to be in bad taste.“The dress fits her well, but the pattern is rather garish.”
Where does garish come from?
Unknown, possibly from obsolete Middle English gawren (“to stare”) which is of uncertain origin, probably from Old Norse gá (“to watch, heed”) or gaurr (“rough fellow”) (Proto-Indo-European *gʰow-rós, from *gʰew- (“to be angry”)).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with garish
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of garish.
Questions about saying garish
How do you pronounce garish?
Say GHER-ish. The American pronunciation is /ˈɡɛrɪʃ/. In British English it is /ˈɡɛərɪʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in garish?
Garish has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (GHER). Broken into parts: GHER · ish.
Do Americans and Brits say garish the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈɡɛrɪʃ/ and the British form is /ˈɡɛərɪʃ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.