sure-fire
adjective
sure-fire is spelled S-U-R-E-F-I-R-E: 8 letters. As an adjective, sure-fire means “Guaranteed to work or happen” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sure-fire?
| Letters | 8: S-U-R-E-F-I-R-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| 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).
Words people confuse with sure-fire
Also written: surefire (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of sure-fire
- more sure-fire comparative
- most sure-fire superlative
- surefire
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sure-fire mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Guaranteed to work or happen.
That hat should be a sure-fire way to spot him in a crowd.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sure-fire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
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 sure-fire come from?
From sure + fire, originally used to denote the efficacy of firearms (rifles) to fire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).