fledge

/flɛd͡ʒ/

//flɛd͡ʒ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“fledge” is uncommon English (frequency #97,033 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,033
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To care for a young bird until it is capable of flight.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fledge · fledge · English

fledge · rank #97,033 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,033
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Flannigan

Nearest frequency peer: Flannigan (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “fledge”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “fledge” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fledge
PropertyValue
Headwordfledge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/flɛd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#97,033
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fledge” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fledgefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Flannigan” (#97,031), “Fixit” (#97,030), “flowerpot” (#97,036). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fledge” is #97,033. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fledge is uncommon English at frequency #97,033 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /flɛd͡ʒ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for fledge in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English flegge, fligge, flygge, from Old English *flyċġe (“able to fly, fledged”) (attested in *unflyċġe, unfligge (“unfledged”)), from Proto-West Germanic *flugi, from Proto-Germanic *flugjaz (“able to fly, fledged”), from Proto-Indo-European *… The correct English form is fledge, spelled F-L-E-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To care for a young bird until it is capable of flight.
  2. 2
    To grow, cover or be covered with feathers.
  3. 3
    To decorate with feathers.
  4. 4
    To complete the last moult and become a winged adult insect.

Etymology

From Middle English flegge, fligge, flygge, from Old English *flyċġe (“able to fly, fledged”) (attested in *unflyċġe, unfligge (“unfledged”)), from Proto-West Germanic *flugi, from Proto-Germanic *flugjaz (“able to fly, fledged”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to run, flow, be swift, flee, fly”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Dutch vlug (“fledged, able to fly, nimble, swift”), Low German flügg (“fledged”), German flügge, German flücke (“fledged”), Icelandic fleygur (“able to fly, fledged”)

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 "fledge"?
"fledge" is spelled F-L-E-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /flɛd͡ʒ/.
What does "fledge" mean?
As a verb, "fledge" means: To care for a young bird until it is capable of flight.
How do you pronounce "fledge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fledge" is /flɛd͡ʒ/. 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 "fledge"?
From Middle English flegge, fligge, flygge, from Old English *flyċġe (“able to fly, fledged”) (attested in *unflyċġe, unfligge (“unfledged”)), from Proto-West Germanic *flugi, from Proto-Germanic *flugjaz (“able to fly, fledged”), from Proto-Indo-... 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 "fledge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fettle#97,023feints#97,021gamete#97,057evince#97,004

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list