flip

/flɪp/

//flɪp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“flip” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,129. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,129
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 maneuver which rotates an object end over end.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flip · flip · English

flip · rank #5,129 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,129
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flesh

Nearest frequency peer: flesh (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “flip”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “flip” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

flip vs FP
0% similar
flip vs fly
50% similar
flip vs flu
50% similar

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

Key facts for flip
PropertyValue
Headwordflip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/flɪp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,129
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flip”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fliplands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “flesh” (#5,128), “forty” (#5,130), “fa” (#5,127). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flip” is #5,129. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around flip (IPA /flɪp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,129 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for flip, with forms such as "fflip", "filp", and "flipp". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FP", "fly", "flu", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of earlier fillip, from Middle English filippen (“to make a signal or sound with thumb and right forefinger, snap the fingers”), an attenuated variation of flappen (“to flap, clap, slap, strike”). Cognate with Dutch flappen (“to flap”), German fl… The correct English form is flip, spelled F-L-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A maneuver which rotates an object end over end.
  2. 2
    A complete change of direction, decision, movement etc.
  3. 3
    A fillip or light blow.
  4. 4
    A whit or jot; the tiniest amount.
  5. 5
    A short flight.
  6. 6
    A slingshot.
  7. 7
    A hairstyle popular among boys in the 1960s–70s and 2000s–10s, in which the hair goes halfway down the ears, at which point it sticks out
  8. 8
    The purchase of an asset (usually a house) which is then improved and sold quickly for profit.
  9. 9
    The tendency of a gun's barrel to jerk about at the moment of firing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We'll decide this on a flip of a coin.
  2. The diver did a couple of flips before landing in the pool.

Etymology

Alteration of earlier fillip, from Middle English filippen (“to make a signal or sound with thumb and right forefinger, snap the fingers”), an attenuated variation of flappen (“to flap, clap, slap, strike”). Cognate with Dutch flappen (“to flap”), German flappen (“to flap”).

This word in other languages

volteo(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fflip
  • filp
  • flipp
  • fllip
  • flpi
  • lfip

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flip - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

fflip1filp2flipp1fllip1flpi2lfip2
Edit distance from "flip"

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 "flip"?
"flip" is spelled F-L-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /flɪp/.
What does "flip" mean?
As a noun, "flip" means: A maneuver which rotates an object end over end.
What words are commonly confused with "flip"?
"flip" is commonly confused with "FP", "fly", "flu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flip" is /flɪp/. 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 "flip"?
Alteration of earlier fillip, from Middle English filippen (“to make a signal or sound with thumb and right forefinger, snap the fingers”), an attenuated variation of flappen (“to flap, clap, slap, strike”). Cognate with Dutch flappen (“to flap”),... 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 "flip", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dose#5,124cave#5,108beta#5,101punk#5,159

Similar misspelling depth

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

Swiss6 variantsswim6 variantssnap6 variantsskip6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list