Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wildfire

/ˈwaɪldˌfaɪər/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.36 in modern English

Syllables: wild-fire
IPA: /ˈwaɪldˌfaɪər/

15

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A rapidly spreading fire, especially one occurring in a wildland area.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A spreading disease of the skin, particularly erysipelas.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Something that acts or spreads quickly and uncontrollably.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"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?"
"“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.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: wilde fyr, wilde fȳr

Usage

Inflected Forms

wildfires (plural)

Phrases

spread like wildfire wildfire-fighter

Frequently Paired Words

conflagration brushfire bushfire

Synonyms

forest fire

Questions

How do you pronounce wildfire?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwaɪldˌfaɪər/.
What does wildfire mean?: A rapidly spreading fire, especially one occurring in a wildland area.
Where does wildfire come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce wildfire

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wildfire”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwaɪldˌfaɪər/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wildfire”.
Repeat and practice — Say “wildfire” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.