wildfire

/ˈwaɪldˌfaɪɚ/

//ˈwaɪldˌfaɪɚ// noun

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

"wildfire" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wildfire” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,223. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,223
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A rapidly spreading fire, especially one occurring in a wildland area.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wildfire · wildfire · English

wildfire · rank #18,223 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,223
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH withheld

Nearest frequency peer: withheld (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “wildfire”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “wildfire” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wildfire vs wildlife
75% similar
wildfire vs Wilshire
63% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for wildfire
PropertyValue
Headwordwildfire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwaɪldˌfaɪɚ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#18,223
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wildfire”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).wildfirelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “withheld” (#18,224), “whipping” (#18,221), “withholding” (#18,225). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wildfire” is #18,223. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around wildfire (IPA /ˈwaɪldˌfaɪɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,223 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for wildfire, with forms such as "iwldfire", "widlfire", and "wilddfire". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "wildlife", "Wilshire", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English wilde fyr, wilde fire, wylde fyre, from Old English wilde fȳr. By surface analysis, wild + fire. The correct English form is wildfire, spelled W-I-L-D-F-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A rapidly spreading fire, especially one occurring in a wildland area.
  2. 2
    Greek fire.
  3. 3
    A spreading disease of the skin, particularly erysipelas.
  4. 4
    Something that acts or spreads quickly and uncontrollably.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how wildfire appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. So, it appears a revolution has happened and a very unexpected one. Of course it was only a matter of time before it happened. With WiFi connectivity spreading faster than wildfire and a laptop or tablet in one’s bag, what’s the point of a mobile nowadays?
  2. “It was my own personal watch and I wanted to change the face,” she said in an interview during a recent business trip to New York. “I started wearing it, and it was wildfire — everybody wanted one.”

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wilde fyr, wilde fire, wylde fyre, from Old English wilde fȳr. By surface analysis, wild + fire.

This word in other languages

feu de forêt(Français)Lauffeuer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwldfire
  • widlfire
  • wilddfire
  • wildffire
  • wildfier
  • wildfirre
  • wildfrie
  • wildifre
  • wilfdire
  • willdfire
  • wlidfire
  • wwildfire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wildfire - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iwldfire2widlfire2wilddfire1wildffire1wildfier2wildfirre1wildfrie2wildifre2
Edit distance from "wildfire"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wildfire"?
"wildfire" is spelled W-I-L-D-F-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwaɪldˌfaɪɚ/.
What does "wildfire" mean?
As a noun, "wildfire" means: A rapidly spreading fire, especially one occurring in a wildland area.
What words are commonly confused with "wildfire"?
"wildfire" is commonly confused with "wildlife", "Wilshire". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wildfire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wildfire" is /ˈwaɪldˌfaɪɚ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "wildfire"?
Inherited from Middle English wilde fyr, wilde fire, wylde fyre, from Old English wilde fȳr. By surface analysis, wild + fire. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wildfire", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

withheld#18,224whipping#18,221weaponry#18,218agitated#18,234

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

unfairly12 variantsappliance12 variantsasserting12 variantssurveyor12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list