backfire
/ˈbækfaɪə(ɹ)/noun, verb
backfire is spelled B-A-C-K-F-I-R-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, backfire means “A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of backfire is backfires.
How many letters and syllables are in backfire?
| Letters | 8: B-A-C-K-F-I-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,070th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is backfire?
Backfire appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th 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 backfire?
- /ˈbækfaɪə(ɹ)/
As a verb (“Of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc., to fire in the…”): /bækˈfaɪə(ɹ)/, /ˈbækfaɪə(ɹ)/.
Backfire has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-backfire.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-backfire2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-backfire.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with backfire
Also written: back fire (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of backfire
- backfires plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- backfiring participle, present
- backfired participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does backfire mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction.
- 2
An explosion in the exhaust passages of an internal combustion engine.
- 3
An explosion in other equipment.
- 4
Alternative form of back fire.
verb
- 1
Of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc., to fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel.
- 2
Of a reciprocating engine, to experience a premature ignition of fuel or an ignition of exhaust gases, making a popping sound.
- 3
To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.
His attempt to make money by importing luxury cars backfired horribly when fuel prices tripled.
- 4
To set a back fire (small, controlled fire to limit spread of a larger fire).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Backfire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se retourner contre, avoir l'effet inverse, retour de flamme, contrecoup subi |
| German | fehlschlagen, nach hinten losgehen |
| Portuguese | sair pela culatra, sair o tiro pela culatra |
| Spanish | salir el tiro por la culata, tener el efecto contrario, tener efecto retroactivo, tener contraefecto, jugar una mala pasada , petardear |
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 backfire come from?
From back + fire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).