flutter
flut·ter/ˈflʌtɚ/verb, noun
flutter is spelled F-L-U-T-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables (flut·ter). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, flutter means “To flap or wave quickly but irregularly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in flutter?
| Letters | 7: F-L-U-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: flut·ter |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th 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; 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 flutter?
Flutter appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 flutter?
- UK /ˈflʌtə/
- US /ˈflʌtɚ/
- US [-ɾɚ]
Flutter has 2 syllables, split flut·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-flutter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with flutter?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as flutter from its last stressed vowel (/ʌtəɹ/):
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 flutter
- flutters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- fluttering participle, present
- fluttered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does flutter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To flap or wave quickly but irregularly.
flags fluttering in the wind
- 2
Of a winged animal: to flap the wings without flying; to fly with a light flapping of the wings.
- 3
To undergo divergent oscillations (potentially to the point of causing structural failure) due to a positive feedback loop between elastic deformation and aerodynamic forces.
- 4
To cause something to flap.
A bird flutters its wings.
- 5
To drive into disorder; to throw into confusion.
- 6
To be in a state of agitation or uncertainty.
- 7
obsoleteTo be frivolous.
- 8
slangTo subject to a lie detector test.
noun
- 1
The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.
The eagle soared across the horizon with just a few slow flutters of its wings. The flutter of insects and bats is more rapid. Some birds also use non-flight flutters as communication and in thermoregulation.
- 2
The collective flutter of many similar objects.
leaf flutter; feather flutter
- 3
A flapping, crackling or rustling sound, as from a fluttering motion or any comparable sound; any series of quick repetitive sounds.
I eventually found the source of the flutter, which came from clothes on a clothesline swaying with the wind.
- 4
A sound that spreads in the manner of a wave or ripple.
A flutter of gasps spread over the crowd.
- 5
The rapid up-and-down movement of the eyelids, and consequently eyelashes, often seen as intentionally flirtatious or alluring and often attributed to the eyes or eyebrows.
He couldn't help but feel more attracted to her with each flutter of her eyes/lashes/eyelids.
- 6
The movement a hand fan with a back-and-forth action using flicks of the wrist, so as to produce a graceful wave-like effect.
The flutter of the geisha's fan was elegant.
- 7
The leg motion of various strokes in swimming, especially the flutter kick.
The flutter of your legs will propel you through the water, when you execute a proper flutter kick.
- 8
The motion or state of falling while fluttering or falling as to produce fluttering.
Winged helicopter seeds fall with rapid flutters to the ground.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Flutter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | faséyer, voleter, voltiger , battement |
| German | flattern , wedeln , Flattern |
| Portuguese | tremular, drapejar , tremulação , esvoaçar |
| Spanish | ondear, flamear, tremolar , aletear |
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 flutter come from?
From Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian, flotorian (“to float about, flutter”), from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), equivalent to float + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with West Frisian flodderje (“to flutter, beat”), Dutch flodderen (“to flutter, wave”), Low German fluttern, fluddern (“to flutter”), German flittern (“to sparkle, glitter”). More at float.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).