volatile
vol·a·tile/ˈvɑ.lə.təl/adjective, noun
volatile is spelled V-O-L-A-T-I-L-E, 3 syllables: vol·a·tile. The wrong spelling people search most is volitile: about 620 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 10 of all searches for the word. Volatile is an adjective meaning “Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions”.
How many letters and syllables are in volatile?
| Letters | 8: V-O-L-A-T-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: vol·a·tile |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, volitile, about 620 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell volatile?
Volatile is spelled V-O-L-A-T-I-L-E. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 10 of the searches for volatile in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is volatile?
Volatile appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 volatile?
- UK /ˈvɒl.əˌtaɪl/
- UK [ˈvɒl.əˌtʰaɪ̯l]
- US /ˈvɑ.lə.təl/
Volatile has 3 syllables, split vol·a·tile in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-volatile.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of volatile
- more volatile comparative
- most volatile superlative
- volatiles plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does volatile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
- 2
informalOf a substance, explosive.
- 3
Of a price, variable or erratic.
- 4
Of a person, quick to become angry or violent.
a volatile man
- 5
Fickle.
- 6
Temporary or ephemeral.
- 7
Of a situation potentially violent.
- 8
Of a variable etc., having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
noun
- 1
A chemical or compound that changes into a gas easily.
- 2
A variable that is volatile, i.e. has its associated memory immediately updated with any change in value.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Volatile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | volatil |
| German | volatil, flüchtig, verdunstend, leichtflüchtig , explosiv, brisant |
| Portuguese | volátil , instável |
| Spanish | volátil |
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 volatile come from?
From Middle French volatile, from Latin volātilis (“flying; swift; temporary; volatile”), from volō (“to fly”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).