set fire to

verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"set-fire-to" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“set fire to” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cause (something) to be on fire; to set (something) alight.

Key facts for set fire to
PropertyValue
Headwordset fire to
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “set fire to” sits in English frequency

set fire to falls 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for set fire to is 11 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for set fire to in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is set fire to, spelled S-E-T- -F-I-R-E- -T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause (something) to be on fire; to set (something) alight.
  2. 2
    To destroy or dismantle (something).
  3. 3
    To stir up intense emotion or action in (something).

This word in other languages

incendiar(Español)mettre le feu(Français)anzünden(Deutsch)atear(Português)

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 "set fire to"?
"set fire to" is spelled S-E-T- -F-I-R-E- -T-O.
What does "set fire to" mean?
As a verb, "set fire to" means: To cause (something) to be on fire; to set (something) alight.
What language does "set fire to" come from?
"set fire to" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “set fire to”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-T- -F-I-R-E- -T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list