flame

/fleɪm/

//fleɪm// noun

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

"flame" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flame” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,357. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,357
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flame · flame · English

flame · rank #6,357 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,357
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH excellence

Nearest frequency peer: excellence (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “flame”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “flame” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

flame vs flat
60% similar
flame vs flee
60% similar
flame vs foam
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for flame
PropertyValue
Headwordflame
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fleɪm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,357
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flame”

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).flamelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “excellence” (#6,356), “forests” (#6,358), “ethical” (#6,355). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flame” is #6,357. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around flame (IPA /fleɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,357 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for flame, with forms such as "falme", "fflame", and "flaem". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "flat", "flee", "foam", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English flawme, blend of Old French flame and flambe, flamble, the first from Latin flamma, the second from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma, both from pre-Latin *fladma; Proto-Italic *flagmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to … The correct English form is flame, spelled F-L-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.
  2. 2
    A romantic partner or lover in a usually short-lived but passionate affair.
  3. 3
    An aggressively insulting criticism or remark.
  4. 4
    A brilliant reddish orange-gold fiery colour.
  5. 5
    A brilliant reddish orange-gold fiery colour. flame:
  6. 6
    The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the curl.
  7. 7
    Burning zeal, passion, imagination, excitement, or anger.
  8. 8
    A variety of carnation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth[…].
  2. The flames will then be joined together next week at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, the home of the Paralympics, and the united flame will make its final journey to London for the opening of the 14th Paralympic Games next Wednesday.

Etymology

From Middle English flawme, blend of Old French flame and flambe, flamble, the first from Latin flamma, the second from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma, both from pre-Latin *fladma; Proto-Italic *flagmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shimmer, gleam, shine”). Displaced native Old English līeġ.

This word in other languages

flama(Español)flamme(Français)Flamme(Deutsch)chama(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • falme
  • fflame
  • flaem
  • flamme
  • fllame
  • flmae
  • lfame

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flame - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

falme2fflame1flaem2flamme1fllame1flmae2lfame2
Edit distance from "flame"

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 "flame"?
"flame" is spelled F-L-A-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fleɪm/.
What does "flame" mean?
As a noun, "flame" means: The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.
What words are commonly confused with "flame"?
"flame" is commonly confused with "flat", "flee", "foam". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flame"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flame" is /fleɪm/. 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 "flame"?
From Middle English flawme, blend of Old French flame and flambe, flamble, the first from Latin flamma, the second from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma, both from pre-Latin *fladma; Proto-Italic *flagmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *b... 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 "flame", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

drain#6,353curse#6,351intel#6,370kicks#6,371

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

cookie7 variantswives7 variantswidow7 variantswears7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list