fire extinguisher

/ˈfaɪəɹ ɪkˌstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈfaɪəɹ ɪkˌstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ.ə(ɹ)// noun

"fire-extinguisher" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fire extinguisher” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device that can be used to put out a fire. Usually a portable cylinder filled with carbon dioxide, dry powder or water, in the latter two cases with some means of pressurising the cylinder to exp...

Corpus desk

Index EN-fire-extinguisher · fire extinguisher · English

fire extinguisher · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 17 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for fire extinguisher
PropertyValue
Headwordfire extinguisher
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfaɪəɹ ɪkˌstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ.ə(ɹ)/
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fire extinguisher” in English

fire extinguisherfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fire extinguisher is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfaɪəɹ ɪkˌstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ.ə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A device that can be used to put out a fire. Usually a portable cylinder filled with carbon dioxide, dry powder or water, in the latter two cases with some means of pressurising the cylinder to exp...".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for fire extinguisher, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is fire extinguisher, spelled F-I-R-E- -E-X-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device that can be used to put out a fire. Usually a portable cylinder filled with carbon dioxide, dry powder or water, in the latter two cases with some means of pressurising the cylinder to expel the contents.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how fire extinguisher appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The captain did a safety drill. This covered where the emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was located, how to make a mayday call, and where the fire extinguishers were. A crew member demonstrated how to put on an immersion suit. These survival suits are waterproof full-body garments with a hood and integral three-finger gloves and boots. T…

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fire extinguisher"?
"fire extinguisher" is spelled F-I-R-E- -E-X-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfaɪəɹ ɪkˌstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "fire extinguisher" mean?
As a noun, "fire extinguisher" means: A device that can be used to put out a fire. Usually a portable cylinder filled with carbon dioxide, dry powder or water, in the latter two cases with some means of pressurising the cylinder to exp...
How do you pronounce "fire extinguisher"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fire extinguisher" is /ˈfaɪəɹ ɪkˌstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ.ə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fire extinguisher" come from?
"fire extinguisher" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list