flotsam

/ˈflɒtsəm/

//ˈflɒtsəm// noun

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

"flotsam" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flotsam” is uncommon English (frequency #60,811 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,811
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Debris floating in a river or sea, in particular fragments from a shipwreck.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flotsam · flotsam · English

flotsam · rank #60,811 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,811
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flagrantly

Nearest frequency peer: flagrantly (-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 “flotsam”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for flotsam
PropertyValue
Headwordflotsam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈflɒtsəm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#60,811
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “flotsam” in English

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).flotsamfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “flagrantly” (#60,810), “Fitzgibbon” (#60,809), “Finchley” (#60,808). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flotsam” is #60,811. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

flotsam is uncommon English at frequency #60,811 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈflɒtsəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Debris floating in a river or sea, in particular fragments from a shipwreck.".

flotsam has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman floteson, from Old French flotaison (“a floating”), from floter (“to float”), of Germanic origin (See float.), + -aison, from Latin -atio. The correct English form is flotsam, spelled F-L-O-T-S-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Debris floating in a river or sea, in particular fragments from a shipwreck.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. WORF: Sensors beginning to pick up small objects, sir. PICARD: On screen. RIKER: Doesn't look natural. PICARD: Agreed. Enlarge and identify. WORF: It looks like debris from a space vessel of some kind. RIKER: It could be one of those ships that was orbiting Dytallix. LA FORGE: We are in close proximity to that planet. PICARD: Identify marks Mr. Worf. WORF…
  2. STORAGE boxes -- catchalls for flotsam, jetsam, whatnots and thingamajigs -- are gaining new interest as decorative objects for the home.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman floteson, from Old French flotaison (“a floating”), from floter (“to float”), of Germanic origin (See float.), + -aison, from Latin -atio.

This word in other languages

pecio(Español)épave(Français)Treibgut(Deutsch)

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 "flotsam"?
"flotsam" is spelled F-L-O-T-S-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈflɒtsəm/.
What does "flotsam" mean?
As a noun, "flotsam" means: Debris floating in a river or sea, in particular fragments from a shipwreck.
How do you pronounce "flotsam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flotsam" is /ˈflɒtsəm/. 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 "flotsam"?
From Anglo-Norman floteson, from Old French flotaison (“a floating”), from floter (“to float”), of Germanic origin (See float.), + -aison, from Latin -atio. 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 "flotsam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Favreau#60,804gizzard#60,831Goodson#60,835Dunmore#60,777

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list