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PlainSpell

affair

af·fair/əˈfɛɹ/noun

affair is spelled A-F-F-A-I-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (af·fair). It appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,302nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, affair means “Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of affair is affairs.

How many letters and syllables are in affair?

Letters6: A-F-F-A-I-R
Syllables2: af·fair
In writing20 times per million words; the 4,302nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is affair?

Affair appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,302nd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce affair?

  • UK /əˈfɛə/
  • US /əˈfɛɹ/
  • US /əˈfɛɚ/

Affair has 2 syllables, split af·fair in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-affair.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with affair?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as affair from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹ/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: raffia.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of affair

  • affairs plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does affair mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.

    a difficult affair to manage

  2. 2

    Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely.

    an affair of honor

  3. 3

    An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle.

  4. 4

    A material object (vaguely designated).

    He used a hook-shaped affair with a long handle to unlock the car.

  5. 5

    An adulterous relationship, chiefly of a married person. (from affaire de cœur, affair of the heart).

    When Martin's wife found out about his affair with her best friend, she asked for a divorce.

  6. 6

    An otherwise illicit romantic relationship, such as with someone who is not one's regular partner (boyfriend, girlfriend).

    Jerry's girlfriend said she wanted to go steady, but she was in an affair with one of his team-mates.

  7. 7

    A person with whom someone has an adulterous relationship.

  8. 8

    A party or social gathering, especially of a formal nature.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate affair?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of affair: aff..

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Affair in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanAngelegenheit (that which is done or is to be done), Scharmützel (action or engagement not of sufficient…), Ding (material object (vaguely designated)), Beziehung, Affäre (adulterous relationship)
Portuguesenegócio, afazer (that which is done or is to be done), assunto, caso, coisa (any proceeding or action which it is wished to…)
Spanishnegocio (that which is done or is to be done), rollo, amorío (adulterous relationship), asunto (any proceeding or action which it is wished to…)
Frenchaventure, liaison (adulterous relationship)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does affair come from?

From Middle English afere, affere, from Old French afaire, from a- + faire (“to do”), from Latin ad- + facere (“to do”). See fact, and compare ado.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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