flap

/flæp/

//flæp// noun

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

"flap" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flap” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,170 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,170
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

flap vs FP
0% similar
flap vs fly
50% similar
flap vs flu
50% similar

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

Key facts for flap
PropertyValue
Headwordflap
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/flæp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,170
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flap” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). flap lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for flap is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /flæp/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,170 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for flap, with forms such as "falp", "fflap", and "flapp". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FP", "fly", "flu", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English flap, flappe (“a slap; blow; buffet; fly-flap; something flexible or loose; flap”), related to Saterland Frisian Flappert (“wing, flipper”), Middle Dutch flabbe (“a blow; slap on the face; fly-flap; flap”) (modern Dutch flap (“flap”)), M… The correct English form is flap, spelled F-L-A-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved.
  2. 2
    A hinged leaf.
  3. 3
    A hinged surface on the trailing edge of the wings of an aeroplane, used to increase lift and drag.
  4. 4
    A side fin of a ray.
  5. 5
    The motion of anything broad and loose, or a sound or stroke made with it.
  6. 6
    A controversy, scandal, stir, or upset.
  7. 7
    A consonant sound made by a single muscle contraction, such as the sound /ɾ/ in the standard American English pronunciation of body.
  8. 8
    A piece of tissue incompletely detached from the body, as an intermediate stage of plastic surgery.
  9. 9
    The labia, the vulva.
  10. 10
    A blow or slap (especially to the face).
  11. 11
    A young prostitute.
  12. 12
    A connected component of the induced subgraph formed by deleting a set of vertices.

Etymology

From Middle English flap, flappe (“a slap; blow; buffet; fly-flap; something flexible or loose; flap”), related to Saterland Frisian Flappert (“wing, flipper”), Middle Dutch flabbe (“a blow; slap on the face; fly-flap; flap”) (modern Dutch flap (“flap”)), Middle Low German flabbe, vlabbe, flebbe, from the verb (see below). Related also to English flab and flabby.

This word in other languages

solapa(Español)pan(Français)Krempe(Deutsch)aba(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: falp,fflap,flapp,fllap,flpa,lfap

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flap - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

falp2fflap1flapp1fllap1flpa2lfap2
Edit distance from "flap"

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 "flap"?
"flap" is spelled F-L-A-P. The IPA pronunciation is /flæp/.
What does "flap" mean?
As a noun, "flap" means: Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved.
What words are commonly confused with "flap"?
"flap" is commonly confused with "FP", "fly", "flu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flap"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flap" is /flæp/. 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 "flap"?
From Middle English flap, flappe (“a slap; blow; buffet; fly-flap; something flexible or loose; flap”), related to Saterland Frisian Flappert (“wing, flipper”), Middle Dutch flabbe (“a blow; slap on the face; fly-flap; flap”) (modern Dutch flap (“... 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.

Using “flap”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-L-A-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /flæp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “FP” - see the side-by-side comparison. flap vs FP
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list