flop

/flɒp/

//flɒp// verb

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

"flop" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flop” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,720. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,720
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To fall heavily due to lack of energy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flop · flop · English

flop · rank #13,720 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,720
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fleming

Nearest frequency peer: Fleming (-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 “flop”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “flop” 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).

flop vs fo
50% similar
flop vs FP
0% similar
flop vs for
50% similar

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

Key facts for flop
PropertyValue
Headwordflop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/flɒp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#13,720
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “flop”

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).floplands 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 “Fleming” (#13,719), “follower” (#13,721), “filtering” (#13,717). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flop” is #13,720. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around flop (IPA /flɒp/), averb. Corpus frequency is #13,720 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for flop, with forms such as "fflop", "fllop", and "flopp". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fo", "FP", "for", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since 1602, probably a variant of flap with a duller, heavier sound. The correct English form is flop, spelled F-L-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To fall heavily due to lack of energy.
  2. 2
    To cause to drop heavily.
  3. 3
    To fail completely; not to be successful at all (of a movie, play, book, song etc.).
  4. 4
    To pretend to be fouled in sports, such as basketball, hockey (the same as to dive in soccer)
  5. 5
    To strike about with something broad and flat, as a fish with its tail, or a bird with its wings; to rise and fall; to flap.
  6. 6
    To have (a hand) using the community cards dealt on the flop.
  7. 7
    To stay, sleep or live in a place.
  8. 8
    To flip; to reverse (an image).
  9. 9
    To deny someone parole.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He flopped down in front of the television, exhausted from work.
  2. There was [in the clock in Lyons Cathedral] a centre puppet of the Virgin Mary; and close to her, a small pigeon-hole, out of which another and a very ill-looking puppet made one of the most sudden plunges I ever saw accomplished: instantly flopping back again at sight of her, and banging his little door violently, after him.

Etymology

Recorded since 1602, probably a variant of flap with a duller, heavier sound.

This word in other languages

desplomarse(Español)s'effondrer(Français)plumpsen(Deutsch)colapsar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fflop
  • fllop
  • flopp
  • flpo
  • folp
  • lfop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of flop - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

fflop1fllop1flopp1flpo2folp2lfop2
Edit distance from "flop"

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 "flop"?
"flop" is spelled F-L-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /flɒp/.
What does "flop" mean?
As a verb, "flop" means: To fall heavily due to lack of energy.
What words are commonly confused with "flop"?
"flop" is commonly confused with "fo", "FP", "for". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flop" is /flɒp/. 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 "flop"?
Recorded since 1602, probably a variant of flap with a duller, heavier sound. 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 "flop", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

jaws#13,742lowe#13,751milo#13,760ouch#13,773

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Erica6 variantsoasis6 variantsoddly6 variantsOsaka6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list