flanker

/ˈflæŋkə/

//ˈflæŋkə// noun

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

"flanker" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flanker” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,137. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,137
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A player who plays in the back row of the scrum.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flanker · flanker · English

flanker · rank #42,137 · 11 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,137
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flabbergasted

Nearest frequency peer: flabbergasted (-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 “flanker”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flanker” 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).

flanker vs flatter
71% similar
flanker vs flannel
71% similar
flanker vs flicker
71% similar

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

Key facts for flanker
PropertyValue
Headwordflanker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈflæŋkə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#42,137
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flanker”

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).flankerlands 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 “flabbergasted” (#42,136), “flathead” (#42,138), “firecracker” (#42,134). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flanker” is #42,137. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around flanker (IPA /ˈflæŋkə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,137 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for flanker, with forms such as "falnker", "fflanker", and "flakner". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "flatter", "flannel", "flicker", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From flank + -er. The verb is from the noun (sense 3). The correct English form is flanker, spelled F-L-A-N-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A player who plays in the back row of the scrum.
  2. 2
    A wide receiver who lines up behind the line of scrimmage.
  3. 3
    A fortification or soldier projecting so as to defend another work or to command the flank of an assailing body.
  4. 4
    One of a pair of large upright monoliths erected on either end of the recumbent, in recumbent stone circles of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and the counties of Cork and Kerry in south-west of Ireland.
  5. 5
    A usually lower-end brand or product introduced in order to target competitors and protect a company's main market share.
  6. 6
    Newly created perfume that shares some attributes of an already existing perfume.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1675, The Captivity of Mary Rowlandson, from The Portable Native American Indian Reader, New York: Penguin Books, 1977, page 312, About two hours...they had been about the house before they prevailed to fire it (which they did with Flax and Hemp, which they brought out of the Barn, and there being no defence about the House, only two Flankers at two oppos…
  2. [The planters’ houses] were frequently constructed with flankers and loopholes, for the purpose of firing upon the assailants when they approached so near.

Etymology

From flank + -er. The verb is from the noun (sense 3).

This word in other languages

flanqueador(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • falnker
  • fflanker
  • flakner
  • flanekr
  • flankerr
  • flankker
  • flankre
  • flannker
  • fllanker
  • flnaker
  • lfanker

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

falnker2fflanker1flakner2flanekr2flankerr1flankker1flankre2flannker1
Edit distance from "flanker"

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 "flanker"?
"flanker" is spelled F-L-A-N-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈflæŋkə/.
What does "flanker" mean?
As a noun, "flanker" means: A player who plays in the back row of the scrum.
What words are commonly confused with "flanker"?
"flanker" is commonly confused with "flatter", "flannel", "flicker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flanker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flanker" is /ˈflæŋkə/. 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 "flanker"?
From flank + -er. The verb is from the noun (sense 3). 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 "flanker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

FORTRAN#42,140fuchsia#42,145Fukuoka#42,146Eugenia#42,124

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Fibonacci11 variantsglittery11 variantshooligan11 variantsdateline11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list