outflank
"outflank" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“outflank” is uncommon English (frequency #70,980 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #70,980
- frequency rank, English
- 1,431
- “O” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To maneuver around and behind the flank of (an opposing force).
Corpus desk
Index EN-outflank · outflank · English
outflank · rank #70,980 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #70,980
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,431
- PHOTO-FINISH outbuilding
Nearest frequency peer: outbuilding (-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 “outflank”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- ornithologi…
ornithological
29,025 corpus weight
- Osamu
Osamu
29,024 corpus weight
- outbuilding
outbuilding
29,022 corpus weight
- outflank
outflank
29,021 corpus weight
- overexposed
overexposed
29,019 corpus weight
- overqualifi…
overqualified
29,018 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “outflank” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | outflank |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #70,980 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “outflank” in English
Rare enough to double-check
outflank is uncommon English at frequency #70,980 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for outflank in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From out- + flank. The correct English form is outflank, spelled O-U-T-F-L-A-N-K.
Definition
- 1To maneuver around and behind the flank of (an opposing force).
- 2To gain a tactical advantage over (a competitor, for example).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how outflank appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Unscrupulous members offered special discounts, illegal rebates, and unauthorized underquotations to outflank their conference partners, and blamed their agents or 'invented' competition to justify these tactics.
Few expect the unrest to stop anytime soon. The government may hope to outflank the protest movement by painting them as unwilling to accept compromise, but even some of Lam’s allies have publicly said that the withdrawal was too little, too late.
Etymology
From out- + flank.
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "outflank", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).