flag
/flæɡ/noun, verb
flag is spelled F-L-A-G: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 38 times per million words in written English, the 2,581st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, flag means “A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem, used as a visual signal or symbol” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of flag is flags.
How many letters and syllables are in flag?
| Letters | 4: F-L-A-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 38 times per million words; the 2,581st 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; 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 flag?
Flag appears 38 times per million words in written English, the 2,581st 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 flag?
- UK /flæɡ/
- British /flaɡ/
- British /flaːɡ/
Flag has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-flag.wav, En-us-flag.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with flag?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as flag from its last stressed vowel (/æɡ/, British pronunciation):
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 flag
- flags plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- flagging participle, present
- flagged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does flag mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem, used as a visual signal or symbol.
- 2
The design that could be placed on a flag, typically a rectangular graphic that is used to represent an entity (like a country, organisation or group of people) or an idea.
The flag of France has three vertical stripes.
- 3
A flag flown by a ship to show the presence on board of the admiral; the admiral himself, or his flagship.
- 4
A signal flag.
- 5
The use of a flag, especially to indicate the start of a race or other event.
- 6
A variable or memory location that stores a Boolean true-or-false, yes-or-no value, typically either recording the fact that a certain event has occurred or requesting that a certain optional action take place.
- 7
In a command line interface, a command parameter requesting optional behavior or otherwise modifying the action of the command being invoked.
- 8
A mechanical indicator that pops up to draw the pilot's attention to a problem or malfunction.
- 9
Any of various plants with sword-shaped leaves, especially irises; specifically, Iris pseudacorus.
And laden barges float By banks of myosote; And scented flag and golden flower-de-lys Delay the loitering boat.
- 10
A slice of turf; a sod.
- 11
A slab of stone; a flagstone, a flat piece of stone used for paving.
- 12
Any hard, evenly stratified sandstone, which splits into layers suitable for flagstones.
- 13
A group of feathers on the lower part of the legs of certain hawks, owls, etc.
- 14
A group of elongated wing feathers in certain hawks.
- 15
The bushy tail of a dog such as a setter.
- 16
A hook attached to the stem of a written note that assigns its rhythmic value
verb
- 1
To furnish or deck out with flags.
- 2
To mark with a flag, especially to indicate the importance of something.
- 3
To signal to, especially to stop a passing vehicle etc.
Please flag down a taxi for me.
- 4
To convey (a message) by means of flag signals.
to flag an order to troops or vessels at a distance
- 5
To note, mark or point out for attention.
I've flagged up the need for further investigation into this.
- 6
To signal (an event).
The compiler flagged three errors.
- 7
To set a program variable to true.
Flag the debug option before running the program.
- 8
To decoy (game) by waving a flag, handkerchief, etc. to arouse the animal's curiosity.
- 9
To weaken, become feeble.
His strength flagged toward the end of the race.
- 10
To hang loose without stiffness; to bend down, as flexible bodies; to be loose, yielding, limp.
- 11
To let droop; to suffer to fall, or let fall, into feebleness.
- 12
To enervate; to exhaust the vigour or elasticity of.
- 13
To pave with flagstones.
Fred is planning to flag his patio this weekend.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Flag in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | drapeau, étendard, flag , sémaphore , affaiblir |
| German | Flagge, Fahne, Faane , Flag, Bitschalter , markieren |
| Portuguese | bandeira , flag , marcar com bandeira (uma) , embandeirar, abandeirar , sinalizar |
| Spanish | bandera , desfallecer, flaquear , marcar/señalar con una bandera , embanderar , lirio |
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 flag come from?
From Middle English flag, flagge (“flag”), further etymology uncertain. Perhaps from or related to early Middle English flage (name for a baby's garment) and Old English flagg, flacg (“cataplasm, poultice, plaster”). Or, perhaps ultimately imitative, or otherwise drawn from Proto-Germanic *flaką (“something flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat, broad, plain”), referring to the shape. Germanic cognates include Saterland Frisian Flaage (“flag”), West Frisian flagge (“flag”), Dutch vlag (“flag”), German Flagge (“flag”), Swedish flagga (“flag”), Danish flag (“flag, ship's flag”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).