fireball
fi·re·ball/ˈfaɪəɹˌbɔl/noun, adjective, verb
fireball is spelled F-I-R-E-B-A-L-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables (fi·re·ball). It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fireball means “A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion, or (fiction, mythology) thrown as a weapon” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fireball is fireballs.
How many letters and syllables are in fireball?
| Letters | 8: F-I-R-E-B-A-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: fi·re·ball |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,965th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is fireball?
Fireball appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th 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 fireball?
- UK /ˈfaɪəbɔːl/
- US /ˈfaɪəɹˌbɔl/
- US /-ɑl/
Fireball has 3 syllables, split fi·re·ball in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fireball.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-fireball.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fireball
- fireballs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fireballing participle, present
- fireballed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fireball mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion, or (fiction, mythology) thrown as a weapon.
- 2
informalA feisty, strong-willed person.
- 3
Synonym of fastball (“a high-speed pitch of a baseball”).
- 4
A bright glow caused by a spacecraft re-entering an atmosphere.
- 5
A meteor bright enough to cast shadows; a bolide.
- 6
A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two.
- 7
A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight.
- 8
A charge depicting a disc-shaped bombshell with flames emitted from the top, or sometimes from the top, bottom, and on either side.
adjective
- 1
slangExcellent, terrific.
verb
- 1
To attack (someone or something) with balls of fire.
- 2
To explode in a ball of fire or flame.
The car swerved off a road, hit a wall, and fireballed as the petrol tank exploded.
- 3
To emerge suddenly; to explode.
- 4
To pitch a baseball very fast.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fireball in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | boule de feu , fireball |
| German | Feuerball , Fireball |
| Portuguese | bola de fogo |
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 fireball come from?
The noun is derived from fire (noun) + ball (noun). The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).