flock

/flɒk/

//flɒk// noun

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

"flock" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flock” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,384. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,384
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A number of birds together in a group, such as those gathered together for the purpose of migration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flock · flock · English

flock · rank #11,384 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,384
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH firearm

Nearest frequency peer: firearm (-2 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 “flock”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flock” 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).

flock vs fuck
60% similar
flock vs flow
60% similar
flock vs folk
60% similar

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

Key facts for flock
PropertyValue
Headwordflock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/flɒk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,384
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flock”

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).flocklands 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 “firearm” (#11,382), “footballer” (#11,386), “footsteps” (#11,387). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flock” is #11,384. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around flock (IPA /flɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,384 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for flock, with forms such as "fflock", "flcok", and "fllock". 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, "fuck", "flow", "folk", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English flok, from Old English flocc (“flock, company, troop”), from Proto-West Germanic *flokk, from Proto-Germanic *flukkaz (“crowd, troop”). Cognate with German Low German Flock (“crowd, flock”), Danish flok (“flock”), Swedish flock (“flock”)… The correct English form is flock, spelled F-L-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A number of birds together in a group, such as those gathered together for the purpose of migration.
  2. 2
    A large number of animals associated together in a group; commonly used of sheep, but (dated) also used for goats, farmed animals, and a wide variety of animals.
  3. 3
    Those served by a particular pastor or shepherd.
  4. 4
    A large number of people.
  5. 5
    A religious congregation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He told his father, and said it would be just suitable work for him to run about fields and woods amongst the strawberry hills after a flock of hares, and now and then lie down and take a nap on some sunny hill.
  2. But lapsed into so long a pause again / As half amazed, half frighted all his flock: [...]

Etymology

From Middle English flok, from Old English flocc (“flock, company, troop”), from Proto-West Germanic *flokk, from Proto-Germanic *flukkaz (“crowd, troop”). Cognate with German Low German Flock (“crowd, flock”), Danish flok (“flock”), Swedish flock (“flock”), Norwegian flokk (“flock”), Faroese flokkur (“flock”), Icelandic flokkur (“flock, group”). Related also to Norman fliotchet (“flock, crowd”), from Old Norse. Perhaps related to Old English folc (“crowd, troop, band”). More at folk.

Synonyms

bunchgagglehordehostlegionlitternestrabbleswarmthrongwake

This word in other languages

bandada(Español)vol(Français)Schwarm(Deutsch)bando(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fflock
  • flcok
  • fllock
  • flocck
  • flockk
  • flokc
  • folck
  • lfock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flock - 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.

fflock1flcok2fllock1flocck1flockk1flokc2folck2lfock2
Edit distance from "flock"

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 "flock"?
"flock" is spelled F-L-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /flɒk/.
What does "flock" mean?
As a noun, "flock" means: A number of birds together in a group, such as those gathered together for the purpose of migration.
What words are commonly confused with "flock"?
"flock" is commonly confused with "fuck", "flow", "folk". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flock" is /flɒk/. 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 "flock"?
From Middle English flok, from Old English flocc (“flock, company, troop”), from Proto-West Germanic *flokk, from Proto-Germanic *flukkaz (“crowd, troop”). Cognate with German Low German Flock (“crowd, flock”), Danish flok (“flock”), Swedish flock... 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 "flock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hides#11,393chalk#11,355caves#11,354Carlo#11,353

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

fallout8 variantsExodus8 variantshoused8 variantscoated8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list