fluke
/fluk/noun, verb
fluke is spelled F-L-U-K-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fluke means “A lucky or improbable occurrence that could probably never be repeated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fluke is flukes.
How many letters and syllables are in fluke?
| Letters | 5: F-L-U-K-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 24,170th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fluke?
Fluke appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fluke?
- UK /fluːk/
- US /fluk/
- /fljuːk/
Fluke has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fluke.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fluke?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fluke from its last stressed vowel (/uk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fluke
- flukes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fluking participle, present
- fluked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fluke mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A lucky or improbable occurrence that could probably never be repeated.
We've classified by a fluke; actually, the first goal was just a total fluke.
- 2
A summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus)
- 3
A trematode; a parasitic flatworm of the class Trematoda, related to tapeworms (class Cestoda).
The man became infected with flukes after eating a meal of raw fish.
- 4
Any of the triangular blades at the end of an anchor, designed to catch the ground.
The fluke of the anchor was wedged between two outcroppings of rock and could not be dislodged.
- 5
Either of the two lobes of a whale's or similar creature's tail.
The dolphin had an open wound on the left fluke of its tail where the propeller had injured it.
- 6
A metal hook on the head of certain staff weapons (such as a bill), made in various forms depending on function, whether used for grappling or to penetrate armour when swung at an opponent.
The polearm had a wide, sharpened fluke attached to the central point.
- 7
In general, a winglike formation on a central piece.
After casting the bronze statue, we filed down the flukes and spurs from the molding process.
- 8
Waste cotton.
verb
- 1
To obtain a successful outcome by pure chance.
I fluked a pass in the multiple-choice exam.
- 2
To fortuitously pot a ball in an unintended way.
He fluked the other red into the middle pocket, despite the double kiss.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fluke in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | coup de chance, coup de bol , pelle , douve |
| German | Glücksfall, glücklicher Zufall , Flunke , Saugwurm , Fluke |
| Portuguese | golpe de sorte, acaso da sorte, fortuna inesperada, acaso feliz, cagada , lobo da cauda de baleia |
| Spanish | chiripa, churro, anomalía, champa, moñona, carambola |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fluke come from?
Unknown, perhaps dialectal. It seems to have originally referred to a lucky shot at billiards. Possibly connected to sense 3, referring to whales' use of flukes to move rapidly. Possibly derived from German Glück (“luck, good fortune, happiness”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).