ignite
/ɪɡˈnaɪt/verb
ignite is spelled I-G-N-I-T-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, ignite means “To set fire to (something), to light (something)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ignite?
| Letters | 6: I-G-N-I-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th 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 ignite?
Ignite appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th 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 ignite?
- /ɪɡˈnaɪt/
Ignite 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-ignite.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ignite
- ignites present, singular, he/she/it
- igniting participle, present
- ignited participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ignite mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To set fire to (something), to light (something)
- 2
To spark off (something), to trigger
ignite curiosity
- 3
To commence burning.
- 4
To subject to the action of intense heat; to heat strongly; often said of incombustible or infusible substances.
to ignite iron or platinum
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ignite in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mettre le feu, allumer , déclencher |
| German | zünden, anzünden |
| Portuguese | incendiar, acender |
| Spanish | encender, incendiar, ignicionar, prender fuego a, poner ignito |
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 ignite come from?
From Latin ignītus, past participle of igniō, ignire (“to set on fire, ignite”), from Latin ignis (“fire”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥gʷnis, and thus related to Sanskrit अग्नि (agní), Lithuanian ugnis, and Russian ого́нь (ogónʹ).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).