afire

/əˈfaɪɚ/

//əˈfaɪɚ// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"afire" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“afire” is uncommon English (frequency #55,220 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,220
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - On fire (often metaphorically).

Corpus desk

Index EN-afire · afire · English

afire · rank #55,220 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,220
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aflame

Nearest frequency peer: aflame (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “afire”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “afire” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for afire
PropertyValue
Headwordafire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈfaɪɚ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#55,220
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “afire” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).afirefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “aflame” (#55,221), “adjudicator” (#55,218), “agen” (#55,222). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “afire” is #55,220. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

afire is uncommon English at frequency #55,220 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /əˈfaɪɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "On fire (often metaphorically).".

afire has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: 13ᵗʰc., from Middle English afire, equivalent to a- (“on”) + fire. Figurative usage from late 14ᵗʰc. The correct English form is afire, spelled A-F-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    On fire (often metaphorically).

Etymology

13ᵗʰc., from Middle English afire, equivalent to a- (“on”) + fire. Figurative usage from late 14ᵗʰc.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "afire"?
"afire" is spelled A-F-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈfaɪɚ/.
What does "afire" mean?
As an adverb, "afire" means: On fire (often metaphorically).
How do you pronounce "afire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "afire" is /əˈfaɪɚ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "afire"?
13ᵗʰc., from Middle English afire, equivalent to a- (“on”) + fire. Figurative usage from late 14ᵗʰc. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "afire", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aggro#55,223Akali#55,225Ammon#55,232zilch#55,202

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list