phlegm
/flɛm/noun
phlegm is spelled P-H-L-E-G-M: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, phlegm means “One of the four humors making up the body in ancient and mediaeval medicine; said to be cold and moist, and often identified with mucus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of phlegm is phlegms.
How many letters and syllables are in phlegm?
| Letters | 6: P-H-L-E-G-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is phlegm?
Phlegm appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce phlegm?
- US /flɛm/
- /fliːm/
- /flɛːm/
Phlegm has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-phlegm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with phlegm?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as phlegm from its last stressed vowel (/ɛm/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of phlegm
- phlegms plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does phlegm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of the four humors making up the body in ancient and mediaeval medicine; said to be cold and moist, and often identified with mucus.
- 2
Viscid mucus produced by the body, later especially mucus expelled from the bronchial passages by coughing.
Even some members of the new bourgeoisie indulge in conspicuously boorish behavior, like hawking phlegm onto the pavement or picking their noses at business meetings.
- 3
A watery distillation, especially one obtained from plant matter; an aqueous solution.
- 4
Calmness of temperament, composure; also seen negatively, sluggishness, indifference.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Phlegm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | flegme, pituite , glaire |
| German | Phlegma , Schleim, Nasenschleim, Popel , Gemütsruhe, Gleichmut |
| Portuguese | fleuma, flegma , catarro |
| Spanish | flegma, flema , sheta, gargajo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does phlegm come from?
From Middle English flewme, fleume, fleme, from Old French fleume, Middle French flemme (French flegme), and their source, Latin phlegma, from Ancient Greek φλέγμα (phlégma, “flame; inflammation; clammy humor in the body”), from φλέγειν (phlégein, “to burn”). Possible burning sensation when coughing up phlegm. Compare phlox, flagrant, flame, bleak (adjective), fulminate. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots. The regularly developed form /fliːm/ has been displaced by a pronunciation /flɛm/ of uncertain provenance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).