flaking

/ˈfleɪkɪŋ/

//ˈfleɪkɪŋ// adj

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

"flaking" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flaking” is uncommon English (frequency #51,114 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,114
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Breaking or tending to break into flakes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flaking · flaking · English

flaking · rank #51,114 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,114
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fibreglass

Nearest frequency peer: fibreglass (-2 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 “flaking”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for flaking
PropertyValue
Headwordflaking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfleɪkɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#51,114
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “flaking” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).flakingfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “fibreglass” (#51,112), “flecks” (#51,116), “flexor” (#51,117). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flaking” is #51,114. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

flaking is uncommon English at frequency #51,114 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfleɪkɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Breaking or tending to break into flakes.".

flaking has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is flaking, spelled F-L-A-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Breaking or tending to break into flakes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. All the flaking paint had to be scraped off before repainting; fortunately, it came off easily.

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 "flaking"?
"flaking" is spelled F-L-A-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfleɪkɪŋ/.
What does "flaking" mean?
As an adjective, "flaking" means: Breaking or tending to break into flakes.
How do you pronounce "flaking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flaking" is /ˈfleɪkɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "flaking" come from?
"flaking" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "flaking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gennady#51,135Erikson#51,092Glennon#51,137gnocchi#51,138

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list