CIA
/ˌsiːˌaɪˈeɪ/noun, adjective
CIA is spelled C-I-A: 3 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, CIA means “Initialism of Circuit Interactive Analyzer” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of CIA is CIAs.
How many letters and syllables are in CIA?
| Letters | 3: C-I-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,025th 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 CIA?
CIA appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th 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 CIA?
- /ˌsiːˌaɪˈeɪ/
CIA has 3 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)-Persent101-CIA.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with CIA
Also written: cha.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of CIA
- CIAs plural
- C.I.A.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does CIA mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Initialism of Circuit Interactive Analyzer.
- 2
Initialism of Concept Illustration and Animation.
- 3
Initialism of Cultural Impact Assessment.
adjective
- 1
Initialism of captured-in-action.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).