fire
/ˈfaɪ.ə/noun, adjective, verb, interjection
fire is spelled F-I-R-E: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 200 times per million words in written English, the 505th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fire means “A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fire is fires.
How many letters and syllables are in fire?
| Letters | 4: F-I-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 200 times per million words; the 505th 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 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 fire?
Fire appears 200 times per million words in written English, the 505th 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 fire?
- UK /ˈfaɪ.ə/
- UK [ˈfaɪ̯ə]
- [ˈfaː(ə)]
Fire 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-fire.wav, En-us-fire.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-fire.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fire?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fire from its last stressed vowel (/aɪə/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rife, refi, reif, rief.
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 fire
- fires plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- 🜂
- firing participle, present
- fired participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fire mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.
- 2
An instance of this chemical reaction, especially when intentionally created and maintained in a specific location to a useful end (such as a campfire or a hearth fire).
We sat about the fire singing songs and telling tales.
- 3
The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain place, causing damage and danger.
There was a fire at the school last night and the whole place burned down.
- 4
The aforementioned chemical reaction of burning, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy.
- 5
UKA heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).
- 6
The elements necessary to start a fire.
The fire was laid and needed to be lit.
- 7
The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or other ranged weapon.
The fire from the enemy guns kept us from attacking.
- 8
A planned bombardment by artillery or similar weapons, or the capability to deliver such.
We dominated the battlespace with our fires.
adjective
- 1
slangAmazing; excellent.
This is fire, keep up the amazing work!
verb
- 1
To set (something, often a building) on fire.
- 2
To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.
If you fire the pottery at too high a temperature, it may crack.
- 3
To drive away by setting a fire.
- 4
To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct, incompetence, or poor performance).
- 5
To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.
- 6
To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).
We will fire our guns at the enemy.
- 7
To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.
Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes.
- 8
To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust.
The RCS thrusters fired several times to stabilize the tumbling spacecraft.
interjection
- 1
Command to shoot with firearms.
noun
- 1
Acronym of financial independence and retire early.
- 2
Acronym of finance, insurance and real estate, a class of businesses.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | feu , incendie , le feu , cuire , licencier, congédier |
| German | Feuer, Füür, Feia , Brand , brennen , feuern |
| Portuguese | fogo , incêndio , cozinhar, cozer , despedir , fogão |
| Spanish | fuego, incendio , cocer , despedir, echar , lumbre |
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 fire come from?
From Middle English fyr, from Old English fȳr (“fire”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuir, from *fuïr, a regularised form of Proto-Germanic *fōr (“fire”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).