flank

/ˈflæŋk/

//ˈflæŋk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“flank” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,241. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,241
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To attack the flank(s) of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flank · flank · English

flank · rank #12,241 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,241
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fitzgerald

Nearest frequency peer: Fitzgerald (-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 “flank”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flank” 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).

flank vs flat
60% similar
flank vs funk
60% similar
flank vs flaw
60% similar

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

Key facts for flank
PropertyValue
Headwordflank
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈflæŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,241
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flank”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).flanklands 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 “Fitzgerald” (#12,240), “flare” (#12,242), “fleeing” (#12,243). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flank” is #12,241. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around flank (IPA /ˈflæŋk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #12,241 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for flank, with forms such as "falnk", "fflank", and "flakn". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "flat", "funk", "flaw", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English flanc, from Late Old English flanc (“flank”), from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin, probably Frankish *hlanca, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve, hip, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“flexible, sleek, bendsome”),… The correct English form is flank, spelled F-L-A-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To attack the flank(s) of.
  2. 2
    To defend the flank(s) of.
  3. 3
    To place to the side(s) of.
  4. 4
    To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Stately colonnades are flank'd with trees.
  2. [...] Mr. M. N. Rollason points out that on four-track lines on which the fast lines, in the centre, are flanked by the slow lines, and running at speed is permissible on all four, the traveller can enjoy some quite exciting experiences when trains are doing a "neck-and-neck" on adjacent lines.

Etymology

From Late Middle English flanc, from Late Old English flanc (“flank”), from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin, probably Frankish *hlanca, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve, hip, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“flexible, sleek, bendsome”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend”). Akin to Old High German hlanca (“loin”), Middle Low German lanke (“hip joint”) (German lenken (“to bend, turn, lead”)), Old English hlanc (“loose, slender, flaccid, lank”). More at lank.

Synonyms

straddle

This word in other languages

flanquear(Español)flanquer(Français)flankieren(Deutsch)flanquear(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • falnk
  • fflank
  • flakn
  • flankk
  • flannk
  • fllank
  • flnak
  • lfank

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

falnk2fflank1flakn2flankk1flannk1fllank1flnak2lfank2
Edit distance from "flank"

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 "flank"?
"flank" is spelled F-L-A-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈflæŋk/.
What does "flank" mean?
As a verb, "flank" means: To attack the flank(s) of.
What words are commonly confused with "flank"?
"flank" is commonly confused with "flat", "funk", "flaw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flank"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flank" is /ˈflæŋk/. 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 "flank"?
From Late Middle English flanc, from Late Old English flanc (“flank”), from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin, probably Frankish *hlanca, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve, hip, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“flexible, sleek, 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 "flank", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

flare#12,242forex#12,245dummy#12,229dread#12,227

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

cooled8 variantsMarty8 variantschunk8 variantschefs8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list