flunk

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

/flʌŋk/

//flʌŋk// verb

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

The verdict

“flunk” is an uncommon English word, ranked #77,683 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#77,683
frequency rank, English: 5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.

Key facts for flunk
Property	Value
Headword	flunk
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/flʌŋk/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#77,683
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flunk” 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). flunk lands here:

#77,683

#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 flunk is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /flʌŋk/. Corpus data places it at rank #77,683 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for flunk, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of funk, or perhaps a blend of flinch + funk. The correct English form is flunk, spelled F-L-U-N-K.

Definition

1
Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.
2
Of a teacher, to deny a student a passing grade.
3
To fail any challenge
4
To shirk (a task or duty).
5
To back out through fear. (Commonly in the phrase 'flunk it', the 'it' referring to a specific task avoided; sometimes without specific reference, describing a person's attitude to life in general.)

Etymology

Alteration of funk, or perhaps a blend of flinch + funk.

This word in other languages

aplazar(Español)louper(Français)durchfallen(Deutsch)reprovar(Português)

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 "flunk"?

"flunk" is spelled F-L-U-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /flʌŋk/.

What does "flunk" mean?

As a verb, "flunk" means: Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.

How do you pronounce "flunk"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flunk" is /flʌŋk/. 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 "flunk"?

Alteration of funk, or perhaps a blend of flinch + funk. 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.

Using “flunk”

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

The one correct English spelling is F-L-U-N-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /flʌŋk/ (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.