flamethrower

/ˈfleɪmˌθɹəʊ.ə/

//ˈfleɪmˌθɹəʊ.ə// noun

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

"flamethrower" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flamethrower” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,787. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,787
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
19
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device that projects a flame for starting fires, and sometimes also additional fuel to help ignition. Used either as a weapon or a tool.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flamethrower · flamethrower · English

flamethrower · rank #44,787 · 19 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,787
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flagpole

Nearest frequency peer: flagpole (-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 “flamethrower”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flamethrower” 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
Key facts for flamethrower
PropertyValue
Headwordflamethrower
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfleɪmˌθɹəʊ.ə/
Letters12
Frequency rank#44,787
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flamethrower”

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).flamethrowerlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “flagpole” (#44,786), “flaccid” (#44,785), “fisting” (#44,784). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flamethrower” is #44,787. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around flamethrower (IPA /ˈfleɪmˌθɹəʊ.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,787 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for flamethrower, with forms such as "falmethrower", "fflamethrower", and "flaemthrower". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. 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 flame + thrower, calque of German Flammenwerfer. The correct English form is flamethrower, spelled F-L-A-M-E-T-H-R-O-W-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device that projects a flame for starting fires, and sometimes also additional fuel to help ignition. Used either as a weapon or a tool.
  2. 2
    Someone who is extremely good at throwing or shooting balls.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "We allowed him to kind of orchestrate the whole offense, and he got comfortable early," George said. "He's a flamethrower. Once he gets hot, it's over."
  2. So when we see guys like that open, we gotta give them the ball. Especially Bryn [Forbes], he's a flamethrower. The guy is one of the best shooters I've been around, so to have him going in the game, it's much needed for us. We need him to get going. We need him to hit shots.

Etymology

From flame + thrower, calque of German Flammenwerfer.

This word in other languages

lanzallamas(Español)lance-flamme(Français)Flammenwerfer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • falmethrower
  • fflamethrower
  • flaemthrower
  • flamehtrower
  • flamethhrower
  • flamethorwer
  • flamethroewr
  • flamethrowerr
  • flamethrowre
  • flamethrowwer
  • flamethrrower
  • flamethrwoer
  • flametrhower
  • flametthrower
  • flammethrower
  • flamtehrower
  • fllamethrower
  • flmaethrower
  • lfamethrower

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flamethrower - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

falmethrower2fflamethrower1flaemthrower2flamehtrower2flamethhrower1flamethorwer2flamethroewr2flamethrowerr1
Edit distance from "flamethrower"

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 "flamethrower"?
"flamethrower" is spelled F-L-A-M-E-T-H-R-O-W-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfleɪmˌθɹəʊ.ə/.
What does "flamethrower" mean?
As a noun, "flamethrower" means: A device that projects a flame for starting fires, and sometimes also additional fuel to help ignition. Used either as a weapon or a tool.
What are common misspellings of "flamethrower"?
Common misspellings include "falmethrower", "fflamethrower", "flaemthrower", "flamehtrower", "flamethhrower". The correct spelling is "flamethrower".
How do you pronounce "flamethrower"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flamethrower" is /ˈfleɪmˌθɹəʊ.ə/. 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 "flamethrower"?
From flame + thrower, calque of German Flammenwerfer. 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 "flamethrower", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

exasperation#44,765geotechnical#44,809hairdressing#44,825heartbreaker#44,835

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

discontinuous19 variantsunobstructed19 variantssynchrotron19 variantssubjectively19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list