filch
/fɪlt͡ʃ/verb, noun
filch is spelled F-I-L-C-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, filch means “To illegally take possession of (something, especially items of low value); to pilfer, to steal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in filch?
| Letters | 5: F-I-L-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 98,107th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is filch?
Filch appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce filch?
- US /fɪlt͡ʃ/
Filch has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-filch.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with filch?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as filch from its last stressed vowel (/ɪltʃ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of filch
- filches present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- filching participle, present
- filched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does filch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To illegally take possession of (something, especially items of low value); to pilfer, to steal.
Hey, someone filched my wallet!
noun
- 1
Something which has been filched or stolen.
- 2
An act of filching; larceny, theft.
- 3
obsoleteA person who filches; a filcher, a pilferer, a thief.
- 4
obsoleteA hooked stick used to filch objects.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Filch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does filch come from?
From Middle English filchen (“to pilfer, steal”). The further origin of the word is uncertain, but it is likely from or related to Old English fylċian (“to marshal troops”) and Old English ġefylċe (“band of men, army, host”), which would make it also related to folk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).