inflame

/ɪnˈfleɪm/

//ɪnˈfleɪm// verb

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

"inflame" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inflame” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,291. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,291
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To set on fire; to kindle; to cause to burn, flame, or glow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inflame · inflame · English

inflame · rank #48,291 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,291
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH infill

Nearest frequency peer: infill (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “inflame”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “inflame” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

inflame vs inflate
86% similar
inflame vs inflated
75% similar
inflame vs inflamed
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for inflame
PropertyValue
Headwordinflame
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈfleɪm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#48,291
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inflame”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).inflamelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “infill” (#48,290), “injurious” (#48,292), “incriminate” (#48,289). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inflame” is #48,291. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around inflame (IPA /ɪnˈfleɪm/), averb. Corpus frequency is #48,291 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for inflame, with forms such as "ifnlame", "infalme", and "infflame". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "inflate", "inflated", "inflamed", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English inflammen, enflamen, enflaumen, from Old French enflammer (“to inflame”), from Latin inflammō (“to kindle, set on fire”, verb), from in (“in, on”) + flamma (“flame”), equivalent to in- + flame. The correct English form is inflame, spelled I-N-F-L-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To set on fire; to kindle; to cause to burn, flame, or glow.
  2. 2
    To kindle or intensify (a feeling, as passion or appetite); to excite to an excessive or unnatural action or heat.
  3. 3
    To provoke (a person) to anger or rage; to exasperate; to irritate; to incense; to enrage.
  4. 4
    To put in a state of inflammation; to produce morbid heat, congestion, or swelling, of.
  5. 5
    To exaggerate; to enlarge upon.
  6. 6
    To grow morbidly hot, congested, or painful; to become angry or incensed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We should have made retreat / By light of the inflamed fleet.
  2. Along the perimeter road the police car approached, headlamps inflaming the afternoon sunlight.

Etymology

From Middle English inflammen, enflamen, enflaumen, from Old French enflammer (“to inflame”), from Latin inflammō (“to kindle, set on fire”, verb), from in (“in, on”) + flamma (“flame”), equivalent to in- + flame.

This word in other languages

allumer(Français)anzünden(Deutsch)inflamar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnlame
  • infalme
  • infflame
  • inflaem
  • inflamme
  • infllame
  • inflmae
  • inlfame
  • innflame
  • niflame

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inflame - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ifnlame2infalme2infflame1inflaem2inflamme1infllame1inflmae2inlfame2
Edit distance from "inflame"

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 "inflame"?
"inflame" is spelled I-N-F-L-A-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈfleɪm/.
What does "inflame" mean?
As a verb, "inflame" means: To set on fire; to kindle; to cause to burn, flame, or glow.
What words are commonly confused with "inflame"?
"inflame" is commonly confused with "inflate", "inflated", "inflamed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inflame"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inflame" is /ɪnˈfleɪm/. 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 "inflame"?
From Middle English inflammen, enflamen, enflaumen, from Old French enflammer (“to inflame”), from Latin inflammō (“to kindle, set on fire”, verb), from in (“in, on”) + flamma (“flame”), equivalent to in- + flame. 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 "inflame", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hobbled#48,282hemming#48,277keratin#48,305Hansard#48,266

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

gilding10 variantsMarcella10 variantsEusebius10 variantsEgerton10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list