# flare vs flash

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### flare
*noun · IPA /flɛə̯/ · frequency rank #12,242*
A sudden bright light.

### flash
*verb · IPA /flæʃ/ · frequency rank #3,299*
To cause to shine briefly or intermittently.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/flare-vs-flash