sixish

Sixish is an informal English adjective and adverb meaning approximately six, most commonly used to indicate about six o’clock. It conveys vagueness about time or quantity without committing to an exact value. The term is formed by adding the suffix -ish to the numeral six and is often written as sixish or six-ish in informal writing.

The pronunciation is typically /ˈsɪk.ɪʃ/ or /ˈsɪkˌɪʃ/. The -ish suffix is a common way in English to indicate approximation or a small degree, and sixish follows this pattern to signal an estimated point near six.

Usage is predominantly informal. In time references, "sixish" means around six o’clock, as in "Let’s meet at sixish." It can also loosely indicate an approximate number, such as "There were sixish people in the group." In formal writing, more explicit or conventional phrases like around six or about six are preferred.

Origin and history are linked to the broader use of -ish to denote approximation in English. Sixish is generally believed to have appeared in 20th‑century colloquial speech and has since become a stable, though informal, part of everyday language.

Variations include sixish and six-ish, with no strong preference for one form in casual contexts. While widely understood in English-speaking regions, the term remains informal and is typically avoided in formal or technical writing.