flippant

/ˈflɪp.ənt/

//ˈflɪp.ənt// adj

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

"flippant" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flippant” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,629. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,629
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flippant · flippant · English

flippant · rank #47,629 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #47,629
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flexion

Nearest frequency peer: flexion (-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 “flippant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flippant” 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).

flippant vs flipping
75% similar

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

Key facts for flippant
PropertyValue
Headwordflippant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈflɪp.ənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#47,629
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flippant”

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).flippantlands 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 “flexion” (#47,628), “floater” (#47,630), “fondue” (#47,631). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flippant” is #47,629. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around flippant (IPA /ˈflɪp.ənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #47,629 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for flippant, with forms such as "fflippant", "filppant", and "flipant". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "flipping", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1595, from Northern English dialectal flippand (“prattling, babbling, glib”), present participle of flip (“to babble”), of North Germanic origin. Cognate with Icelandic fleipa (“to babble, prattle”), Swedish dialectal flepa (“to talk nonsense”). Alteration … The correct English form is flippant, spelled F-L-I-P-P-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.
  2. 2
    Loquacious; speaking with ease and rapidity.
  3. 3
    Nimble; limber.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a sort of flippant, vain discourse
  2. The conversations had grown more adult over the years—she was less flippant, at least.

Etymology

1595, from Northern English dialectal flippand (“prattling, babbling, glib”), present participle of flip (“to babble”), of North Germanic origin. Cognate with Icelandic fleipa (“to babble, prattle”), Swedish dialectal flepa (“to talk nonsense”). Alteration of -and suffix (a variant of the participial -ing) to -ant probably due to influence from words in -ant.

Antonyms

serious

This word in other languages

fresco(Español)désinvolte(Français)schnodderig(Deutsch)insolente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fflippant
  • filppant
  • flipant
  • flipapnt
  • flippannt
  • flippantt
  • flippatn
  • flippnat
  • fllippant
  • flpipant
  • lfippant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flippant - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

fflippant1filppant2flipant1flipapnt2flippannt1flippantt1flippatn2flippnat2
Edit distance from "flippant"

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 "flippant"?
"flippant" is spelled F-L-I-P-P-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈflɪp.ənt/.
What does "flippant" mean?
As an adjective, "flippant" means: Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.
What words are commonly confused with "flippant"?
"flippant" is commonly confused with "flipping". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flippant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flippant" is /ˈflɪp.ənt/. 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 "flippant"?
1595, from Northern English dialectal flippand (“prattling, babbling, glib”), present participle of flip (“to babble”), of North Germanic origin. Cognate with Icelandic fleipa (“to babble, prattle”), Swedish dialectal flepa (“to talk nonsense”). A... 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 "flippant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Fuelling#47,634fastener#47,622ganglion#47,640geranium#47,645

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

empathic11 variantsgrouchy11 variantsdrooping11 variantsheaviness11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list