flintlock
/ˈflɪntˌlɒk/
"flintlock" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“flintlock” is uncommon English (frequency #79,515 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #79,515
- frequency rank, English
- 2,507
- “F” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An early type of firearm, using a spring-loaded flint to strike sparks into the firing pan.
Corpus desk
Index EN-flintlock · flintlock · English
flintlock · rank #79,515 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #79,515
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,507
- PHOTO-FINISH flanged
Nearest frequency peer: flanged (-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 “flintlock”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- fettuccine
fettuccine
20,491 corpus weight
- fizzing
fizzing
20,488 corpus weight
- flanged
flanged
20,487 corpus weight
- flintlock
flintlock
20,486 corpus weight
- floe
floe
20,484 corpus weight
- formalin
formalin
20,477 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “flintlock” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | flintlock |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈflɪntˌlɒk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #79,515 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “flintlock” in English
Rare enough to double-check
flintlock is uncommon English at frequency #79,515 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈflɪntˌlɒk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for flintlock in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From flint + lock. The correct English form is flintlock, spelled F-L-I-N-T-L-O-C-K.
Definition
- 1An early type of firearm, using a spring-loaded flint to strike sparks into the firing pan.
- 2A type of lock used on muskets, rifles, and pistols from the early 17th to the mid-19th century.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how flintlock appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window,[…].
Etymology
From flint + lock.
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "flintlock", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).