flattering
/ˈflætəɹɪŋ/
"flattering" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“flattering” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,817 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #15,817
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Attractive or good-looking; that makes one look good.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | flattering |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈflætəɹɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #15,817 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “flattering” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for flattering is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈflætəɹɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,817 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for flattering, with forms such as "falttering", "fflattering", and "flatering". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "fluttering", "fattening", "faltering", 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 Middle English flatering, flatrung (gerund), equivalent to flatter + -ing. The correct English form is flattering, spelled F-L-A-T-T-E-R-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1Attractive or good-looking; that makes one look good.
- 2Gratifying to one's self-esteem; complimentary.
- 3That which represents too favorably.
Etymology
From Middle English flatering, flatrung (gerund), equivalent to flatter + -ing.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: falttering,fflattering,flatering,flatetring,flatteirng,flatterign,flatteringg,flatterinng,flatternig,flatterring,flattreing,fllattering,fltatering,lfattering
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flattering - 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.
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 "flattering"?
What does "flattering" mean?
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Using “flattering”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-L-A-T-T-E-R-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈflætəɹɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “fluttering” - see the side-by-side comparison. flattering vs fluttering
- 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.