Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pyre

/ˈpaɪɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English

Syllables: pyre
IPA: /ˈpaɪɚ/

9

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A funeral pile; a combustible heap on which corpses are burned.

noun

Any heap or pile of combustibles.

Example Sentences

"The villagers built a funeral pyre to honor their dead."
"The effigy was set ablaze on the pyre."
"For nine long nights, through all the dusky air, The pyres thick flaming shot a dismal glare."
"Flames rose high from the pyre in the night sky."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin pyra (“pyre, funeral pile”), from Ancient Greek πυρά (purá), from πῦρ (pûr, “fire”). Doublet of fire.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: πυρά

Inflected Forms

pyres (plural)

Phrases

funeral pyre pyr- pyro-

Frequently Paired Words

empyreal empyrean pyr- pyral pyro-

Synonyms

funeral pyre

Rhymes With

fire higher entire prior require desire wire hire acquire buyer tire liar

Questions

How do you pronounce pyre?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpaɪɚ/.
What does pyre mean?: A funeral pile; a combustible heap on which corpses are burned.
Where does pyre come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce pyre

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