inflammable

/ɪnˈflæməbəl/

//ɪnˈflæməbəl// adj

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

"inflammable" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inflammable” is uncommon English (frequency #80,561 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,561
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Capable of burning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inflammable · inflammable · English

inflammable · rank #80,561 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,561
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH infosec

Nearest frequency peer: infosec (+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 “inflammable”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for inflammable
PropertyValue
Headwordinflammable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈflæməbəl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#80,561
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “inflammable” in English

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).inflammablefalls 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: “infosec” (#80,562), “indignantly” (#80,559), “inhomogeneous” (#80,563). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inflammable” is #80,561. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

inflammable is uncommon English at frequency #80,561 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪnˈflæməbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for inflammable in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French inflammable, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre (“to set on fire”), from in (“in, on”) + flamma (“flame”). Equivalent to inflame + -able. The correct English form is inflammable, spelled I-N-F-L-A-M-M-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capable of burning.
  2. 2
    Easily set on fire.
  3. 3
    Easily excited; set off by the slightest excuse; easily enraged or inflamed.
  4. 4
    Incapable of burning; not easily set on fire. From in- + flammable, via backformation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. On he went a few paces and touched a second, then a third, and a fourth, till at last we were surrounded on all three sides by a great ring of bodies flaring furiously, the material with which they were preserved having rendered them so inflammable that the flames would literally spout out of the ears and mouth in tongues of fire a foot or more in length.

Etymology

From Middle French inflammable, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre (“to set on fire”), from in (“in, on”) + flamma (“flame”). Equivalent to inflame + -able.

This word in other languages

inflamable(Español)inflammable(Français)brennbar(Deutsch)inflamável(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 "inflammable"?
"inflammable" is spelled I-N-F-L-A-M-M-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈflæməbəl/.
What does "inflammable" mean?
As an adjective, "inflammable" means: Capable of burning.
How do you pronounce "inflammable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inflammable" is /ɪnˈflæməbəl/. 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 "inflammable"?
From Middle French inflammable, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre (“to set on fire”), from in (“in, on”) + flamma (“flame”). Equivalent to inflame + -able. 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 "inflammable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

indignantly#80,559ionospheric#80,571homeostatic#80,537histrionics#80,532

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list