aflame

/əˈfleɪm/

//əˈfleɪm// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"aflame" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aflame” is uncommon English (frequency #55,221 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,221
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In flames, on fire, flaming, with flames coming from it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-aflame · aflame · English

aflame · rank #55,221 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,221
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH afire

Nearest frequency peer: afire (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “aflame”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “aflame” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for aflame
PropertyValue
Headwordaflame
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈfleɪm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#55,221
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “aflame” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).aflamefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “afire” (#55,220), “agen” (#55,222), “aggro” (#55,223). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “aflame” is #55,221. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

aflame is uncommon English at frequency #55,221 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /əˈfleɪm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for aflame in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a- + flame. The correct English form is aflame, spelled A-F-L-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    In flames, on fire, flaming, with flames coming from it.
  2. 2
    Showing anger or contempt.
  3. 3
    Having the colour of flames.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how aflame appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. My heart's aflame, my body's strained, but, God, I like it
  2. She said nothing and simply stared at him, eyes aflame.

Etymology

From a- + flame.

Synonyms

ablazeafireflaming

This word in other languages

llameante(Español)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "aflame"?
"aflame" is spelled A-F-L-A-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈfleɪm/.
What does "aflame" mean?
As an adjective, "aflame" means: In flames, on fire, flaming, with flames coming from it.
How do you pronounce "aflame"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aflame" is /əˈfleɪm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "aflame"?
From a- + flame. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "aflame", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Asante#55,246Waylon#55,191avidly#55,255Bahasa#55,257

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list