Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fire alarm

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.24 in modern English

Syllables: fire alarm
IPA

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An electromechanical or electronic bell, klaxon, chime, horn, speaker, strobe light or other device which warns people in a building etc. of a possible fire or other condition requiring evacuation.

noun

The sound or other warning made by a fire alarm.

noun

An emergency response to a fire by the fire department with manpower and equipment.

Example Sentences

"Should the automatic fire alarm sound, the gas from the [carbon dioxide] bottles may be released in the engine compartment by operating a pull handle in the driver's cab."
"A four fire-alarm fire ripped through a row of 2.5 story frame dwellings during the early morning hours"

Etymology

From fire + alarm.

Inflected Forms

fire alarms (plural)

Phrases

fire alarm horn fire alarm pull station fire alarm system pull the fire alarm

Synonyms

smoke alarm

Questions

What does fire alarm mean?: An electromechanical or electronic bell, klaxon, chime, horn, speaker, strobe light or other device which warns people in a building etc. of a possible fire or other condition requiring evacuation.
Where does fire alarm come from?: From fire + alarm.

How to pronounce fire alarm

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