flabbergasting

/ˌflæbəˈɡɑːstɪŋ/

//ˌflæbəˈɡɑːstɪŋ// adj

"flabbergasting" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flabbergasting” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Overwhelming in a bewildering way; amazing, confounding, stunning, especially in a ludicrous manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flabbergasting · flabbergasting · English

flabbergasting · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for flabbergasting
PropertyValue
Headwordflabbergasting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌflæbəˈɡɑːstɪŋ/
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “flabbergasting” in English

flabbergastingranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

flabbergasting is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌflæbəˈɡɑːstɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Overwhelming in a bewildering way; amazing, confounding, stunning, especially in a ludicrous manner.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for flabbergasting, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From flabbergast + -ing. The correct English form is flabbergasting, spelled F-L-A-B-B-E-R-G-A-S-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Overwhelming in a bewildering way; amazing, confounding, stunning, especially in a ludicrous manner.

Etymology

From flabbergast + -ing.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "flabbergasting"?
"flabbergasting" is spelled F-L-A-B-B-E-R-G-A-S-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌflæbəˈɡɑːstɪŋ/.
What does "flabbergasting" mean?
As an adjective, "flabbergasting" means: Overwhelming in a bewildering way; amazing, confounding, stunning, especially in a ludicrous manner.
How do you pronounce "flabbergasting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flabbergasting" is /ˌflæbəˈɡɑːstɪŋ/. 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 "flabbergasting"?
From flabbergast + -ing. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list