astir
/əˈstɝ/adjective
astir is spelled A-S-T-I-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 152,206th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, astir means “In motion; characterized by motion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in astir?
| Letters | 5: A-S-T-I-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 25 million words; the 152,206th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 astir?
Astir appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 152,206th 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 astir?
- UK /əˈstɜː/
- US /əˈstɝ/
- /əˈstɪr/
Astir has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-astir.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with astir?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as astir from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: stair, sitar, stria, arist.
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 astir
- more astir comparative
- most astir superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does astir mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
In motion; characterized by motion.
- 2
Out of bed; up and about.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does astir come from?
From a- + stir.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).