flare

/flɛə̯/

//flɛə̯// noun

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

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

The verdict

“flare” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,242. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,242
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sudden bright light.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flare · flare · English

flare · rank #12,242 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,242
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 18,613
  • PHOTO-FINISH flank

Nearest frequency peer: flank (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “flare”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “flare” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

flare vs flat
60% similar
flare vs flee
60% similar
flare vs flaw
60% similar

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

Key facts for flare
PropertyValue
Headwordflare
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/flɛə̯/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,242
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flare” 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). flare lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around flare (IPA /flɛə̯/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,242 among 18,613 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for flare, with forms such as "falre", "fflare", and "flaer". 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", "flee", "flaw", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin unknown, first recorded in the mid 16th century, probably related to Latin flagrō (“I burn”). Norwegian flara (“to blaze; to flaunt in gaudy attire”) has a similar meaning, but the English word predates it. Possibly related to Middle High German vled… The correct English form is flare, spelled F-L-A-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sudden bright light.
  2. 2
    A source of brightly burning light or intense heat.
  3. 3
    A source of brightly burning light or intense heat.
  4. 4
    A source of brightly burning light or intense heat.
  5. 5
    A sudden eruption or outbreak; a flare-up.
  6. 6
    A widening of an object with an otherwise roughly constant width.
  7. 7
    A widening of an object with an otherwise roughly constant width.
  8. 8
    Bell-bottom trousers.
  9. 9
    The transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.
  10. 10
    A low fly ball that is hit in the region between the infielders and the outfielders.
  11. 11
    A route run by the running back, releasing toward the sideline and then slightly arcing upfield looking for a short pass.
  12. 12
    Ellipsis of lens flare.
  13. 13
    An inflammation such as of tendons (tendonitis) or joints (osteoarthritis).
  14. 14
    A breakdance move of someone helicoptering his torso on alternating arms.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I was looking in the direction of the lightship off and on from the time we first sighted her. I could not be mistaken in such a matter as a flare-up light. By a flare-up light I mean a large bright light waved in the air, something like a torch dipped in resin and waved about. I am prepared to say that any person who has sworn that she shewed a flare-up…
  2. [T]he forward deck near the house was all saturated with spilt oil and there was a quantity of oakum lying about, some of which possibly had been used for flares or distress signals.

Etymology

Origin unknown, first recorded in the mid 16th century, probably related to Latin flagrō (“I burn”). Norwegian flara (“to blaze; to flaunt in gaudy attire”) has a similar meaning, but the English word predates it. Possibly related to Middle High German vlederen (“to flutter”), represented by modern German flattern. The noun is derived from the verb.

This word in other languages

bengala(Español)fusée lumineuse(Français)Fackel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • falre
  • fflare
  • flaer
  • flarre
  • fllare
  • flrae
  • lfare

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

falre2fflare1flaer2flarre1fllare1flrae2lfare2
Edit distance from "flare"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "flare"?
"flare" is spelled F-L-A-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /flɛə̯/.
What does "flare" mean?
As a noun, "flare" means: A sudden bright light.
What words are commonly confused with "flare"?
"flare" is commonly confused with "flat", "flee", "flaw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flare"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flare" is /flɛə̯/. 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 "flare"?
Origin unknown, first recorded in the mid 16th century, probably related to Latin flagrō (“I burn”). Norwegian flara (“to blaze; to flaunt in gaudy attire”) has a similar meaning, but the English word predates it. Possibly related to Middle High G... 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 "flare", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

flank#12,241forex#12,245dummy#12,229dread#12,227

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

kitten7 variantsLagos7 variantslever7 variantsNolan7 variants
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