phlegm
/flɛm/
"phlegm" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“phlegm” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,412. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #48,412
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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.
Corpus desk
Index EN-phlegm · phlegm · English
phlegm · rank #48,412 · 10 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #48,412
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-MID 10 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH Philistine
Nearest frequency peer: Philistine (-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 “phlegm”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- pentagram
pentagram
51,593 corpus weight
- Pettigrew
Pettigrew
51,592 corpus weight
- Philistine
Philistine
51,590 corpus weight
- phlegm
phlegm
51,589 corpus weight
- photonic
photonic
51,588 corpus weight
- picketing
picketing
51,586 corpus weight
What this shows “phlegm” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | phlegm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /flɛm/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #48,412 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “phlegm”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around phlegm (IPA /flɛm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,412 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for phlegm, with forms such as "hplegm", "phelgm", and "phhlegm". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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”… The correct English form is phlegm, spelled P-H-L-E-G-M.
Definition
- 1One of the four humors making up the body in ancient and mediaeval medicine; said to be cold and moist, and often identified with mucus.
- 2Viscid mucus produced by the body, later especially mucus expelled from the bronchial passages by coughing.
- 3A watery distillation, especially one obtained from plant matter; an aqueous solution.
- 4Calmness of temperament, composure; also seen negatively, sluggishness, indifference.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how phlegm appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Each person's unique mixture of these substances determines his temperament: a predominance of blood gives a sanguine temperament; a predominance of phlegm makes one phlegmatic; yellow bile, bilious (or choleric); and black bile, melancholic.
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.
Etymology
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. It may be inherited, though some kind of learned or spelling pronunciation or influence from phlegmatic is also conceivable.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- hplegm
- phelgm
- phhlegm
- phleggm
- phlegmm
- phlemg
- phlgem
- phllegm
- plhegm
- pphlegm
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of phlegm - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "phlegm", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).