Word.ws English Dictionary

wi-fi

/ˈwaɪ.faɪ/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Philippines/ˈwaɪ.faɪ/

wi-fi is the alternative spelling of Wi-Fi.

Noun capitalized: Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi (countable and uncountable, plural Wi-Fis)

  1. (uncountable) Any of several standards for short-range wireless data transmission (IEEE 802.11).
  2. (uncountable) Wireless networking using one of these standards.
    • Mimi gave Fifi access to her Wi-Fi.
    • He couldn't connect to the Wi-Fi in this area.
  3. (informal, uncountable) The capability to connect to a Wi-Fi network.
    • The refrigerator cost 1000 more dollars just because it had Wi-Fi, and I'm thinking "this is ridiculous"!
  4. (countable) A Wi-Fi network.

Verb capitalized: Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi (third-person singular simple present Wi-Fis, present participle Wi-Fi-ing, simple past and past participle Wi-Fied)

  1. (transitive) To equip with Wi-Fi; to Wi-Fi enable.
    • What type of electronics will be immune from being Wi-Fied?2003 September 15, Scott Bradner, “So why isn't it wireless?,”, in Network World, volume 20, number 37
    • The biggest market may be Wi-Fi-ing people's homes.2003, Business Week - Issues 3827-3830
  2. (transitive) To connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi.
    • The hotel manager even claims he's seen Red Sox problem child Manny Ramirez Wi-Fi-ing in the lobby on his Palm.2003, Newsweek - Volume 142, Issues 18-25, page 76
    • Perhaps someone sees you typing in confidential information while you are "Wi-Fi-ing" in a hotel lobby or a crowded airport waiting area.2004, Harold Davis, Absolute Beginner's Guide to Wi-Fi Wireless Networking, page 237

Forms of wi-fi

Noun
pluralWi-Fis
alternative formwi-fi
alternative formwifi
alternative formWiFi
Verb
third-person singular presentWi-Fis
present participleWi-Fi-ing
past participleWi-Fied
pastWi-Fied

Origin of wi-fi

Coined in analogy to Hi-Fi as a trade name developed for the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (later Wi-Fi Alliance). Often analyzed as a shortened form of wireless fidelity (similar to how hi-fi is short for high fidelity); this is possibly due to the former slogan of the aforementioned Wi-Fi Alliance, The Standard for Wireless Fidelity.

Words formed from wi-fi

Phrases with wi-fi

Words that rhyme with wi-fi

Questions about wi-fi

What does wi-fi mean?
Wi-fi means any of several standards for short-range wireless data transmission (IEEE 802.11).
What is wi-fi the alternative spelling of?
Wi-fi is the alternative spelling of Wi-Fi.
What part of speech is wi-fi?
Wi-fi can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce wi-fi?
Wi-fi is pronounced /ˈwaɪ.faɪ/.
What is the plural of wi-fi?
The plural of wi-fi is Wi-Fis.

Words near wi-fi in the dictionary

  1. whyyy
  2. whānau
  3. whānaus
  4. wi
  5. wi'
  6. wi-fi
  7. wi-fi array
  8. wi-fi arrays
  9. Wi-Fi warrior
  10. Wi-Fi warriors
  11. Wi-Fi-ing

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: wi-fi (page history and authors); Wi-Fi (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-wifi.ogg.

Cite this entry: “wi-fi.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/wi-fi. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.