phoenix
/ˈfiːnɪks/noun, verb
phoenix is spelled P-H-O-E-N-I-X: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, phoenix means “A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of phoenix is phoenixes or phoenices.
How many letters and syllables are in phoenix?
| Letters | 7: P-H-O-E-N-I-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,025th 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 phoenix?
Phoenix appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th 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 phoenix?
- /ˈfiːnɪks/
Phoenix 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-phoenix.wav, En-uk-Phoenix.ogg, En-us-Phoenix.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of phoenix
- phoenixes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- phoenices plural
- phoenixing participle, present
- phoenixed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does phoenix mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the ashes.
- 2
Anything that is reborn after apparently being destroyed.
Astronomers believe planets might form in this dead star's disk, like the mythical Phoenix rising up out of the ashes.
- 3
A mythological Chinese chimerical bird whose physical body symbolizes the six celestial bodies; a fenghuang.
- 4
A Greek silver coin used briefly from 1828 to 1832, divided into 100 lepta.
- 5
obsoleteA marvelous person or thing.
- 6
A geometer moth of species Eulithis prunata.
verb
- 1
AustraliaTo transfer assets from one company to another to dodge liability
noun
- 1
A German breed of long-tailed chicken.
- 2
A geometer moth of species Eulithis prunata.
- 3
A white variety of grape of German origin used for winemaking.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Phoenix in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | phénix , phœnix , Phénix , Phoenix |
| German | Phönix , Phoenix |
| Portuguese | fênix, fênice, fénix, fénice , Fénix, Fênix |
| Spanish | fénix, fénice , Fénix , Phoenix |
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 phoenix come from?
From Old English and Old French fenix, from Medieval Latin phenix, from Latin phoenīx, from Ancient Greek φοῖνιξ (phoînix), from Egyptian b-n:nw*w-G31 (bnw, “grey heron”). Doublet of Bennu. The grey heron was venerated at Heliopolis and associated in Egypt with the cyclical renewal of life because the bird rises in flight at dawn and migrates back every year in the flood season to inhabit the Nile waters.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).