firebug
noun
firebug is spelled F-I-R-E-B-U-G: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, firebug means “Pyrrhocoris apterus, a common red and black insect, that is the type species of the family Pyrrhocoridae” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of firebug is firebugs.
How many letters and syllables are in firebug?
| Letters | 7: F-I-R-E-B-U-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 88,353rd 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 firebug?
Firebug appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd 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 firebug?
- Australia
Firebug 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: En-au-firebug.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of firebug
- firebugs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does firebug mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Pyrrhocoris apterus, a common red and black insect, that is the type species of the family Pyrrhocoridae.
- 2
slangA pyromaniac or arsonist.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Firebug in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gendarme, pyrrhocore , pyromane |
| German | Feuerwanze , Feuerteufel |
| Spanish | chinche de la malva arbórea , pirómano |
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 firebug come from?
From fire + bug.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).