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flange

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "flange", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "flange" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "flange" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

flange is aEnglishnoun. It means: An external or internal rib or rim, used either to add strength or to hold something in place. Pronounced /flænd͡ʒ/. Often confused with flank and flare.

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 rank visualization

Position of flange in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for flange is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /flænd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,986 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for flange, with forms such as "falnge", "fflange", and "flagne". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.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 … Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is flange, spelled F-L-A-N-G-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

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.

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

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: falnge,fflange,flagne,flaneg,flangge,flannge,fllange,flnage,lfange

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for flange

Misspelling Variants of "flange"

falnge6fflange7flagne6flaneg6flangge7flannge7fllange7flnage6
Misspelling Variants of "flange"

Frequency rank: #31,986 in English

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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter F in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.