# wildfire

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwaɪldˌfaɪɚ/ · frequency rank #18,223

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

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

## Easily confused with
- **wildlife** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wildfire-vs-wildlife)
- **Wilshire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wildfire-vs-wilshire)

## Common misspellings (12)
`iwldfire`, `widlfire`, `wilddfire`, `wildffire`, `wildfier`, `wildfirre`, `wildfrie`, `wildifre`, `wilfdire`, `willdfire`, `wlidfire`, `wwildfire`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/wildfire