flaw

/flɔː/

//flɔː// noun

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

"flaw" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flaw” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,978. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,978
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A flake, fragment, or shiver.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flaw · flaw · English

flaw · rank #12,978 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,978
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fetus

Nearest frequency peer: fetus (-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 “flaw”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “flaw” 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 September 3, 2026

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
PropertyValue
Headwordflaw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/flɔː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,978
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flaw” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).flawlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “fetus” (#12,977), “flawless” (#12,979), “fooled” (#12,980). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around flaw (IPA /flɔː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,978 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There is a flaw in that knife.
  2. That vase has a flaw.

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.

falw2fflaw1flaww1fllaw1flwa2lfaw2
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "flaw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gigs#12,982grad#12,983hale#12,986mare#13,015

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

cellar6 variantsmuddy6 variantsbloc6 variantsbenny6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "flaw". Here's where to go from here.

  • "flaw" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "FW". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #12,978 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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