flaps

/flæps/

//flæps// noun

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

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

The verdict

“flaps” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,378. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,378
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A disease in the mouths of horses involving inflammation in the cheeks or lips.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flaps · flaps · English

flaps · rank #22,378 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,378
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fireman

Nearest frequency peer: fireman (-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 “flaps”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flaps” 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).

flaps vs flat
60% similar
flaps vs flip
60% similar
flaps vs flaw
60% similar

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

Key facts for flaps
PropertyValue
Headwordflaps
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/flæps/
Letters5
Frequency rank#22,378
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flaps”

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).flapslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “fireman” (#22,377), “flask” (#22,379), “fluff” (#22,380). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flaps” is #22,378. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around flaps (IPA /flæps/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,378 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A disease in the mouths of horses involving inflammation in the cheeks or lips.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for flaps, with forms such as "falps", "fflaps", and "flapps". 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, "flat", "flip", "flaw", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From flap + -s. The correct English form is flaps, spelled F-L-A-P-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A disease in the mouths of horses involving inflammation in the cheeks or lips.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Giges or flappes, is pimples or teates in the in side of his mouth.
  2. If there be any ſvvelling betvveene the eares, it is a ſigne of the polle euil; ſvvelling under the eare, a ſigne of the vives; and ſvvelling in the mouth, a ſigne either of canker, flaps or lampaſſe.

Etymology

From flap + -s.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • falps
  • fflaps
  • flapps
  • flapss
  • flasp
  • fllaps
  • flpas
  • lfaps

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

falps2fflaps1flapps1flapss1flasp2fllaps1flpas2lfaps2
Edit distance from "flaps"

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 "flaps"?
"flaps" is spelled F-L-A-P-S. The IPA pronunciation is /flæps/.
What does "flaps" mean?
As a noun, "flaps" means: A disease in the mouths of horses involving inflammation in the cheeks or lips.
What words are commonly confused with "flaps"?
"flaps" is commonly confused with "flat", "flip", "flaw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flaps"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flaps" is /flæps/. 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 "flaps"?
From flap + -s. 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 "flaps", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

flask#22,379fluff#22,380Fidel#22,375Fabio#22,370

Similar misspelling depth

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

hooray8 variantsdetour8 variantsmanure8 variantsMariah8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list