flood

Name: flood, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/flʌd/

//flʌd// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“flood” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,018 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,018
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

flood vs foo

60% similar

flood vs food

80% similar

flood vs foot

60% similar

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

Key facts for flood
Property	Value
Headword	flood
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/flʌd/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#4,018
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flood” sits in English frequency

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

#4,018

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for flood is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /flʌd/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,018 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for flood, with forms such as "fflood", "fllood", and "flod". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "foo", "food", "foot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English flod, from Old English flōd, from Proto-West Germanic *flōdu, from Proto-Germanic *flōduz, from *plew- (“to flow”). Cognate with Scots flude, fluid, Saterland Frisian Floud, Dutch vloed, German Flut, Danish flod, Icelandic flóð, and Goth… The correct English form is flood, spelled F-L-O-O-D.

Definition

1
An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.
2
A large number or quantity of anything appearing more rapidly than can easily be dealt with.
3
The flowing in of the tide, opposed to the ebb.
4
A floodlight.
5
Menstrual discharge; menses.
6
Water as opposed to land.

Etymology

From Middle English flod, from Old English flōd, from Proto-West Germanic *flōdu, from Proto-Germanic *flōduz, from *plew- (“to flow”). Cognate with Scots flude, fluid, Saterland Frisian Floud, Dutch vloed, German Flut, Danish flod, Icelandic flóð, and Gothic 𐍆𐌻𐍉𐌳𐌿𐍃 (flōdus).

This word in other languages

inundación(Español)inondation(Français)Flut(Deutsch)cheia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fflood,fllood,flod,flodo,floodd,folod,lfood

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "flood"

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 "flood"?

"flood" is spelled F-L-O-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /flʌd/.

What does "flood" mean?

As a noun, "flood" means: An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.

What words are commonly confused with "flood"?

"flood" is commonly confused with "foo", "food", "foot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "flood"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flood" is /flʌd/. 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 "flood"?

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.

Using “flood”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is F-L-O-O-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /flʌd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “foo” - see the side-by-side comparison. flood vs foo
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.