fleshly

adj

"fleshly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fleshly” is uncommon English (frequency #99,268 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,268
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fleshly · fleshly · English

fleshly · rank #99,268 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,268
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fleabag

Nearest frequency peer: fleabag (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “fleshly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fleshly
PropertyValue
Headwordfleshly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters7
Frequency rank#99,268
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fleshly” in English

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).fleshlyfalls 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: “fleabag” (#99,267), “flaxen” (#99,266), “flyway” (#99,272). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fleshly” is #99,268. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fleshly is uncommon English at frequency #99,268 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

fleshly has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fleschly, from Old English flǣsċlīċ; equivalent to flesh + -ly. The correct English form is fleshly, spelled F-L-E-S-H-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to the body.
  2. 2
    Of, relating to or resembling flesh; composed of flesh; having a lot of flesh.
  3. 3
    Of or relating to pleasurable (often sexual) sensations.
  4. 4
    Of or relating to non-spiritual or non-religious matters.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] in the body of this fleshly land, This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath, Hostility and civil tumult reigns Between my conscience and my cousin’s death.
  2. […] to unfold What Worlds, or what vast Regions hold The immortal mind that hath forsook Her mansion in this fleshly nook:

Etymology

From Middle English fleschly, from Old English flǣsċlīċ; equivalent to flesh + -ly.

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 "fleshly"?
"fleshly" is spelled F-L-E-S-H-L-Y.
What does "fleshly" mean?
As an adjective, "fleshly" means: Of or relating to the body.
What is the origin of the word "fleshly"?
From Middle English fleschly, from Old English flǣsċlīċ; equivalent to flesh + -ly. 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 "fleshly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list