flange

/flænd͡ʒ/

//flænd͡ʒ// noun

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

"flange" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flange” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,986. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,986
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An external or internal rib or rim, used either to add strength or to hold something in place.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flange · flange · English

flange · rank #31,986 · 9 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,986
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH firestorm

Nearest frequency peer: firestorm (-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 “flange”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flange” 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).

flange vs flank
67% similar
flange vs flare
67% similar
flange vs fling
67% similar

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

Key facts for flange
PropertyValue
Headwordflange
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/flænd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,986
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flange”

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).flangelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “firestorm” (#31,985), “flaunt” (#31,987), “firefighting” (#31,984). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flange” is #31,986. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around flange (IPA /flænd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,986 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for flange, with forms such as "falnge", "fflange", and "flagne". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "flank", "flare", "fling", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dialectal English flange (“to project”), flanch (“a projection”), from Middle French flanche, from Old French flanche (“flank, side”), from Frankish *hlanka, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve; side, flank”). See flank. As a term for a group of … The correct English form is flange, spelled F-L-A-N-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An external or internal rib or rim, used either to add strength or to hold something in place.
  2. 2
    The projecting edge of a rigid or semi-rigid component.
  3. 3
    An ability in a role-playing game which is not commonly available, overpowered or arbitrarily imposed by the referees.
  4. 4
    The vulva.
  5. 5
    A group of baboons.
  6. 6
    The electronic sound distortion produced by a flanger.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [The] enduring problem with the Gathering is that [players] can't affect anything that happens ... whatever they do, the LT just flange it back to the original plot line.
  2. 2007, "balor", Changing the metaphysics on Rule 7 https://web.archive.org/web/20071014193135/http://forums.rule7.co.uk/Topic28357-44-2.aspx 'Oh look, the amulet of flange has been activated, this means all Paladins now only have one heal per day instead of two.'

Etymology

From dialectal English flange (“to project”), flanch (“a projection”), from Middle French flanche, from Old French flanche (“flank, side”), from Frankish *hlanka, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve; side, flank”). See flank. As a term for a group of baboons, it was popularized in the comedy TV series Not the Nine O'Clock News.

This word in other languages

pestaña(Español)bride(Français)Flansch(Deutsch)borda(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • falnge
  • fflange
  • flagne
  • flaneg
  • flangge
  • flannge
  • fllange
  • flnage
  • lfange

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flange - 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.

falnge2fflange1flagne2flaneg2flangge1flannge1fllange1flnage2
Edit distance from "flange"

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 "flange"?
"flange" is spelled F-L-A-N-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /flænd͡ʒ/.
What does "flange" mean?
As a noun, "flange" means: An external or internal rib or rim, used either to add strength or to hold something in place.
What words are commonly confused with "flange"?
"flange" is commonly confused with "flank", "flare", "fling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flange"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flange" is /flænd͡ʒ/. 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 "flange"?
From dialectal English flange (“to project”), flanch (“a projection”), from Middle French flanche, from Old French flanche (“flank, side”), from Frankish *hlanka, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve; side, flank”). See flank. As a term for a... 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 "flange", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

flaunt#31,987flinch#31,990Ganges#32,006Dryden#31,959

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Guzman9 variantsdearth9 variantshellish9 variantsDaniela9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list