flame
/fleɪm/noun, adjective, verb
flame is spelled F-L-A-M-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,347th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, flame means “The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of flame is flames.
How many letters and syllables are in flame?
| Letters | 5: F-L-A-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,347th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is flame?
Flame appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,347th 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 flame?
- /fleɪm/
Flame 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)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-flame.wav, En-us-flame.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of flame
- flames plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- flaming participle, present
- flamed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does flame mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.
- 2
A romantic partner or lover in a usually short-lived but passionate affair.
- 3
datedAn aggressively insulting criticism or remark.
- 4
A brilliant reddish orange-gold fiery colour.
- 5
flame
- 6
The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the curl.
The cello has a two-piece back with a beautiful narrow flame.
- 7
Burning zeal, passion, imagination, excitement, or anger.
- 8
obsoleteA variety of carnation.
adjective
- 1
Of a brilliant reddish orange-gold colour, like that of a flame.
verb
- 1
To produce flames; to burn with a flame or blaze.
- 2
To burst forth like flame; to break out in violence of passion; to be kindled with zeal or ardour.
- 3
To post a destructively critical or abusive message (to somebody).
I flamed him for spamming in my favourite newsgroup.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Flame in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | flamme , polémique |
| German | Flamme, Lohe , anmachen |
| Portuguese | chama, flama , inflamar |
| Spanish | flama, llama, fogarada, llamarada, fogonazo, chamarada |
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 flame come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).