flycatcher

noun

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

"flycatcher" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“flycatcher” is uncommon English (frequency #62,901 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,901
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of many kinds of birds of the family Muscicapidae, of Africa, Europe, and Asia, that catch insects in flight; an Old World flycatcher.

Corpus desk

Index EN-flycatcher · flycatcher · English

flycatcher · rank #62,901 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,901
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flitting

Nearest frequency peer: flitting (-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 “flycatcher”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for flycatcher
PropertyValue
Headwordflycatcher
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#62,901
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “flycatcher” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).flycatcherfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “flitting” (#62,900), “FNaF” (#62,902), “Flaubert” (#62,899). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “flycatcher” is #62,901. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

flycatcher is uncommon English at frequency #62,901 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for flycatcher, 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: From fly + catcher. The correct English form is flycatcher, spelled F-L-Y-C-A-T-C-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of many kinds of birds of the family Muscicapidae, of Africa, Europe, and Asia, that catch insects in flight; an Old World flycatcher.
  2. 2
    Any of many kinds of similar birds of various families, such as Tyrannidae (the New World flycatchers of the Americas), Tityridae, Stenostiridae, Monarchidae, Petroicidae, etc.
  3. 3
    A device for catching flies.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Stewart appeared anxious to get all information in connection with a fly-catcher on the counter.
  2. He has a patent revolving fly-catcher on the counter.

Etymology

From fly + catcher.

This word in other languages

papamoscas(Español)gobemouche(Français)Fliegenschnäpper(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 "flycatcher"?
"flycatcher" is spelled F-L-Y-C-A-T-C-H-E-R.
What does "flycatcher" mean?
As a noun, "flycatcher" means: Any of many kinds of birds of the family Muscicapidae, of Africa, Europe, and Asia, that catch insects in flight; an Old World flycatcher.
What is the origin of the word "flycatcher"?
From fly + catcher. 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 "flycatcher", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fullscreen#62,912featurette#62,889Gillibrand#62,921exhumation#62,878

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list