fiat
/ˈfaɪæt/noun, verb
fiat is spelled F-I-A-T: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fiat means “An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fiat is fiats.
How many letters and syllables are in fiat?
| Letters | 4: F-I-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.3 times per million words; the 12,397th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fiat?
Fiat appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th 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 fiat?
- /ˈfaɪæt/
- /ˈfiːæt/
- /ˈfiːət/
Fiat 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-fiat.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fiat2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fiat?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as fiat.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: fita.
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 fiat
- fiats plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fiating participle, present
- fiated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fiat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
A royal fiat.
- 2
Authorization, permission or (official) sanction.
A government fiat.
- 3
A warrant of a judge for certain processes.
- 4
An authority for certain proceedings given by the Lord Chancellor's signature.
- 5
(Pertaining to) fiat currency.
verb
- 1
To make (something) happen.
- 2
To issue a fiat.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:fiat.
noun
- 1
An automobile manufactured by the Italian firm Fiat S.p.A.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of Fiat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fiat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Anordnung, Befehl, Erlass, Vorschrift, Fiat , Ermächtigung |
| Portuguese | decreto , sanção |
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 fiat come from?
From Latin fīat (“let it be done”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).