air
/ˈɛə̯/noun, verb
air is spelled A-I-R: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 234 times per million words in written English, the 425th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, air means “The substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of air is airs.
How many letters and syllables are in air?
| Letters | 3: A-I-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 234 times per million words; the 425th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is air?
Air appears 234 times per million words in written English, the 425th 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 air?
- UK /ˈɛə̯/
- UK [ˈɛə̯]
- British /ˈɛː/
Air has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-air.ogg, En-us-air.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with air
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: heir (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: aire, ayr, ayre.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with air?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as air from its last stressed vowel (/ɛə/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rai, ria.
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 air
- airs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ayr
- airing participle, present
- aired participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does air mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases.
This drill runs on compressed air.
- 2
The substance of the atmosphere seen as an agency of freshness.
I'm going outside to get some air.
- 3
One of the four elements of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
- 4
The surrounding ambience or mood; see also in the air.
The air was tense as the judge rose to deliver his verdict.
- 5
A local environment or atmosphere, in the context of its effects on behavior, health, weather, etc.
There was a tension in the air which made me suspect an approaching storm.
- 6
The apparently open space above the ground which this substance fills, (historical) formerly thought to be limited by the firmament but (meteorology) now considered to be surrounded by the near-vacuum of outer space.
The flock of birds took to the air.
- 7
The substance of the atmosphere on a planet other than Earth.
The air on Mars is very thin and consists mostly of carbon dioxide.
- 8
A breeze; a gentle wind.
verb
- 1
To bring (something) into contact with the air, so as to freshen or dry it.
I'll hang these clothes on the rack to air them.
- 2
To let fresh air into (a room or a building), to ventilate.
It's getting quite stuffy in this room: let's open the windows and air it.
- 3
To make public (an opinion, concern, issue, secret, differences, etc); to present to public view (and sometimes discussion).
Residents used the public meeting to air their concerns about the poor state of the roads.
- 4
To broadcast (a television show etc.).
The BBC decided not to air the controversial episode.
- 5
To be broadcast.
This game show first aired in the 1990s and is still going today.
- 6
UKslangTo ignore (a person).
Why is this girl airing me?
- 7
Pronunciation spelling of are.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Air in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | air , aria , aucune chose , aérer , éventer, ventiler |
| German | Luft , Arie , lüften , ausstrahlen |
| Portuguese | ar , ária , coisa nenhuma , arejar , ventilar , transmitir |
| Spanish | aire , airear, ventear , ventilar , retransmitir |
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 air come from?
From Middle English aire, from Old French air, from Latin āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr). Displaced native Old English lyft. More at lift, loft.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).