flummox
/ˈflʌməks/
"flummox" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“flummox” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To confuse; to fluster; to flabbergast.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | flummox |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈflʌməks/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “flummox” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for flummox is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈflʌməks/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for flummox, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain, probably risen out of a British dialect (OED finds candidate words in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, southern Cheshire, and Sheffield). The formation seems to be onomatopœic, expressive of the notion of throwing down roughly and untidily. [OED].… The correct English form is flummox, spelled F-L-U-M-M-O-X.
Definition
- 1To confuse; to fluster; to flabbergast.
- 2To give in, to give up, to collapse.
Etymology
Uncertain, probably risen out of a British dialect (OED finds candidate words in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, southern Cheshire, and Sheffield). The formation seems to be onomatopœic, expressive of the notion of throwing down roughly and untidily. [OED]. First use appears c. 1837 in the writings of Charles Dickens.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “flummox”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-L-U-M-M-O-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈflʌməks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.