flattering
/ˈflætəɹɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
flattering is spelled F-L-A-T-T-E-R-I-N-G: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, flattering means “Attractive or good-looking; that makes one look good” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in flattering?
| Letters | 10: F-L-A-T-T-E-R-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is flattering?
Flattering appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce flattering?
- /ˈflætəɹɪŋ/
Flattering has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-flattering.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of flattering
- more flattering comparative
- most flattering superlative
- flatterings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does flattering mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Attractive or good-looking; that makes one look good.
The dress really did not look very flattering on her figure.
- 2
Gratifying to one's self-esteem; complimentary.
- 3
That which represents too favorably.
noun
- 1
The action of the verb to flatter.
- 2
Instances of flattery.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of flatter
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Flattering in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense attractive or good-looking; that makes one look good:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | schmeichelhaft |
| Spanish | lisonjero, lisonjeador |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does flattering come from?
From Middle English flatering, flatrung (gerund), equivalent to flatter + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).