underwire
noun, verb
underwire is spelled U-N-D-E-R-W-I-R-E: 9 letters. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, underwire means “A semicircular wire placed in a bra to support the breasts” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of underwire is underwires.
How many letters and syllables are in underwire?
| Letters | 9: U-N-D-E-R-W-I-R-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 70,702nd most frequent word form |
| 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).
How common is underwire?
Underwire appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd 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 underwire?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-underwire.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of underwire
- underwires plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- underwiring participle, present
- underwired participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does underwire mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A semicircular wire placed in a bra to support the breasts.
- 2
A bra that includes such wires.
verb
- 1
To fix such a wire in place.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Underwire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Bügel , Bügel-BH |
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 underwire come from?
From under- + wire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).