flirtation

/fləˈteɪʃn̩/

//fləˈteɪʃn̩// noun

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

"flirtation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flirtation” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,815. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,815
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Playing at courtship; coquetry.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flirtation · flirtation · English

flirtation · rank #39,815 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,815
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flaring

Nearest frequency peer: flaring (-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 “flirtation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flirtation” 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).

flirtation vs flotation
80% similar
flirtation vs flirtatious
82% similar

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

Key facts for flirtation
PropertyValue
Headwordflirtation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fləˈteɪʃn̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#39,815
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flirtation”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “flaring” (#39,814), “flor” (#39,816), “fora” (#39,817). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flirtation” is #39,815. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around flirtation (IPA /fləˈteɪʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,815 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for flirtation, with forms such as "fflirtation", "flirattion", and "flirrtation". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "flotation", "flirtatious", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From flirt + -ation. The correct English form is flirtation, spelled F-L-I-R-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Playing at courtship; coquetry.
  2. 2
    An instance of flirting.
  3. 3
    A period of experimentation with or interest in a particular idea or activity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The inquest on keeper Davidson was duly held, and at the commencement seemed likely to cause Tony Palliser less anxiety than he had expected. Northrop knew all about Tony's flirtation with Lucy Davidson, but it also knew a good deal more about that lady than Tony did, and exculpated him.
  2. Courtenaye augured well from the profound silence; suddenly a burst of applause shook the house, the curtain had fallen, and Booth sprang to Walter's side, who was still engaged in an animated flirtation with an actress who was to play in the afterpiece.

Etymology

From flirt + -ation.

This word in other languages

flirteo(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fflirtation
  • flirattion
  • flirrtation
  • flirtaiton
  • flirtasion
  • flirtatino
  • flirtationn
  • flirtatoin
  • flirtattion
  • flirttaion
  • flirttation
  • fllirtation
  • flritation
  • lfirtation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flirtation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

fflirtation1flirattion2flirrtation1flirtaiton2flirtasion1flirtatino2flirtationn1flirtatoin2
Edit distance from "flirtation"

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 "flirtation"?
"flirtation" is spelled F-L-I-R-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /fləˈteɪʃn̩/.
What does "flirtation" mean?
As a noun, "flirtation" means: Playing at courtship; coquetry.
What words are commonly confused with "flirtation"?
"flirtation" is commonly confused with "flotation", "flirtatious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flirtation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flirtation" is /fləˈteɪʃn̩/. 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 "flirtation"?
From flirt + -ation. 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 "flirtation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

eukaryotic#39,806ergonomics#39,803epithelium#39,802engrossing#39,800

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

excitable14 variantshaemorrhage14 variantsimpassable14 variantsdendritic14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list