flitting

/ˈflɪtɪŋ/

//ˈflɪtɪŋ// noun

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

The verdict

“flitting” is uncommon English (frequency #62,900 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,900
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - gerund of flit: the motion of something that flits.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flitting · flitting · English

flitting · rank #62,900 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,900
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Flaubert

Nearest frequency peer: Flaubert (-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 “flitting”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for flitting
PropertyValue
Headwordflitting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈflɪtɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#62,900
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “flitting” in English

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).flittingfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Flaubert” (#62,899), “flycatcher” (#62,901), “flatline” (#62,898). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flitting” is #62,900. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

flitting is uncommon English at frequency #62,900 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈflɪtɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for flitting in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From flit + -ing. The correct English form is flitting, spelled F-L-I-T-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    gerund of flit: the motion of something that flits.
  2. 2
    The act of moving from one residence to another; moving house.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the flittings of birds
  2. After the flitting of the bats, / When thickest dark did trance the sky, / She drew the casement-curtain by, / And glanced athwart the glooming flats.

Etymology

From flit + -ing.

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 "flitting"?
"flitting" is spelled F-L-I-T-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈflɪtɪŋ/.
What does "flitting" mean?
As a noun, "flitting" means: gerund of flit: the motion of something that flits.
How do you pronounce "flitting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flitting" is /ˈflɪtɪŋ/. 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 "flitting"?
From flit + -ing. 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 "flitting", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list