flavor

/ˈfleɪvə/

//ˈfleɪvə// noun

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

"flavor" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flavor” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,687 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,687
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The quality produced by the sensation of taste or, especially, of taste and smell in combined effect.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

flavor vs flor
67% similar
flavor vs floor
67% similar
flavor vs flavour
86% similar

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

Key facts for flavor
PropertyValue
Headwordflavor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfleɪvə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,687
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flavor” 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). flavor 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 flavor is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfleɪvə/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,687 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for flavor, with forms such as "falvor", "fflavor", and "flaovr". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "flor", "floor", "flavour", 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 flavour meaning “smell, odour”, usually pleasing, borrowed from Old French flaour (“smell, odour”) (cfr. Sicilian ciàguru, its etymology and semantic), from Vulgar Latin *flātor (“odour, that which blows”), from Latin flātor (“blower”), … The correct English form is flavor, spelled F-L-A-V-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality produced by the sensation of taste or, especially, of taste and smell in combined effect.
  2. 2
    Flavoring, a substance used to produce a taste.
  3. 3
    A variety (of taste) attributed to an object (food, candy, chewing gum, medicine, etc).
  4. 4
    The characteristic quality of something.
  5. 5
    A kind or type.
  6. 6
    Style.
  7. 7
    One of the six types of quarks (top, bottom, strange, charmed, up, and down) or three types of leptons (electron, muon, and tauon).
  8. 8
    The quality produced by the sensation of smell; odour; fragrance.

Etymology

From Middle English flavour meaning “smell, odour”, usually pleasing, borrowed from Old French flaour (“smell, odour”) (cfr. Sicilian ciàguru, its etymology and semantic), from Vulgar Latin *flātor (“odour, that which blows”), from Latin flātor (“blower”), from flō, flāre (“to blow, puff”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to blow”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to make a loud noise”). Doublet of blow and bleat.

This word in other languages

sabor(Español)goût(Français)Geschmack(Deutsch)sabor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: falvor,fflavor,flaovr,flavorr,flavro,flavvor,fllavor,flvaor,lfavor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

falvor2fflavor1flaovr2flavorr1flavro2flavvor1fllavor1flvaor2
Edit distance from "flavor"

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 "flavor"?
"flavor" is spelled F-L-A-V-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfleɪvə/.
What does "flavor" mean?
As a noun, "flavor" means: The quality produced by the sensation of taste or, especially, of taste and smell in combined effect.
What words are commonly confused with "flavor"?
"flavor" is commonly confused with "flor", "floor", "flavour". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flavor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flavor" is /ˈfleɪvə/. 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 "flavor"?
From Middle English flavour meaning “smell, odour”, usually pleasing, borrowed from Old French flaour (“smell, odour”) (cfr. Sicilian ciàguru, its etymology and semantic), from Vulgar Latin *flātor (“odour, that which blows”), from Latin flātor (“... 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 “flavor”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-L-A-V-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfleɪvə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “flor” - see the side-by-side comparison. flavor vs flor
  • 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