Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

firefighter

/ˈfaɪ.ɚˌfaɪ.tɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.37 in modern English

Syllables: fire-fight-er
IPA: /ˈfaɪ.ɚˌfaɪ.tɚ/

21

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who has been trained to put out fires.

Example Sentences

"A firefighter puts water on a burning tree as flames approach a containment line, while fighting the King fire near Fresh Pond, California. […] More than 4,000 firefighters have rushed to the scene from around the country deploying planes, helicopters and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and fire retardant."

Etymology

From fire + fighter. Created as a gender-neutral term for fireman and firewoman.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfaɪ.ɚˌfaɪ.tɚ/
British English: /ˈfaɪə(ɹ)ˌfaɪ.tə(ɹ)/

Inflected Forms

firefighters (plural)

Derived Forms

nonfirefighter

Phrases

fire engine fire extinguisher fire hose fire hydrant fire truck

Frequently Paired Words

fire engine fire extinguisher fire hose fire hydrant firestriker fire truck standpipe

Synonyms

fireperson smoke eater fire fighter fire-eater

Antonyms

firestarter

Questions

How do you pronounce firefighter?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfaɪ.ɚˌfaɪ.tɚ/.
What does firefighter mean?: A person who has been trained to put out fires.
Where does firefighter come from?: From fire + fighter. Created as a gender-neutral term for fireman and firewoman.

How to pronounce firefighter

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