flaw

Name: flaw, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/flɔː/

//flɔː// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“flaw” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,978 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,978
frequency rank, English: 4
letters: 6
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A flake, fragment, or shiver.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

flaw vs FW

0% similar

flaw vs fly

50% similar

flaw vs flu

50% similar

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

Key facts for flaw
Property	Value
Headword	flaw
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/flɔː/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#12,978
Misspellings tracked	6
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flaw” 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). flaw lands here:

#12,978

#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 flaw is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /flɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,978 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for flaw, with forms such as "falw", "fflaw", and "flaww". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FW", "fly", "flu", 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 flawe, flay (“a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter”), probably from Old Norse flaga (“a flag or slab of stone, flake”), from Proto-Germanic *flagō (“a layer of soil”), from Proto-Indo-European *plok- (“broad, flat”). Cognate with Ice… The correct English form is flaw, spelled F-L-A-W.

Definition

1
A flake, fragment, or shiver.
2
A thin cake, as of ice.
3
A crack or breach, a gap or fissure; a defect of continuity or cohesion.
4
A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.
5
A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.
6
A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.

Etymology

From Middle English flawe, flay (“a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter”), probably from Old Norse flaga (“a flag or slab of stone, flake”), from Proto-Germanic *flagō (“a layer of soil”), from Proto-Indo-European *plok- (“broad, flat”). Cognate with Icelandic flaga (“flake”), Swedish flaga (“flake, scale”), Danish flage (“flake”), Middle Low German vlage (“a layer of soil”), Old English flōh (“a fragment, piece”).

This word in other languages

falla(Español)défaut(Français)Sprung(Deutsch)defeito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: falw,fflaw,flaww,fllaw,flwa,lfaw

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "flaw"

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 "flaw"?

"flaw" is spelled F-L-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /flɔː/.

What does "flaw" mean?

As a noun, "flaw" means: A flake, fragment, or shiver.

What words are commonly confused with "flaw"?

"flaw" is commonly confused with "FW", "fly", "flu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "flaw"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flaw" is /flɔː/. 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 "flaw"?

From Middle English flawe, flay (“a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter”), probably from Old Norse flaga (“a flag or slab of stone, flake”), from Proto-Germanic *flagō (“a layer of soil”), from Proto-Indo-European *plok- (“broad, flat”). Cognat... 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 “flaw”

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

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