outflow
"outflow" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“outflow” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,655 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #28,655
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process of flowing out.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | outflow |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #28,655 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “outflow” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for outflow is 7 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #28,655 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for outflow, with forms such as "otuflow", "ouftlow", and "outfflow". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "outlaw", "outgrow", 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 outflowen, from late Old English ūtflōwan (attested in the past tense as ūt flēow), equivalent to out- + flow. The noun is derived from the verb. The correct English form is outflow, spelled O-U-T-F-L-O-W.
Definition
- 1The process of flowing out.
- 2A fluid that flows out.
- 3Any outward movement.
- 4A stream of gaseous material emanating from an active galactic nucleus.
- 5The part of a system that allows material to flow out.
- 6Something that flows out of a sewage treatment plant.
Etymology
From Middle English outflowen, from late Old English ūtflōwan (attested in the past tense as ūt flēow), equivalent to out- + flow. The noun is derived from the verb.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: otuflow,ouftlow,outfflow,outfllow,outfloww,outflwo,outfolw,outlfow,outtflow,uotflow
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of outflow - 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.
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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Using “outflow”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-U-T-F-L-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Don't mix it up with “outlaw” - see the side-by-side comparison. outflow vs outlaw
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.