flume

\flym\

/\flym\/ noun

The verdict

“flume” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Caniveau à fond plat servant à apporter l'eau de lavage des alluvions aurifères.

Corpus desk

Index FR-flume · flume · French

flume · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for flume
PropertyValue
Headwordflume
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\flym\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « flume » en français

flumesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

flume is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \flym\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Caniveau à fond plat servant à apporter l'eau de lavage des alluvions aurifères.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for flume, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is flume, spelled F-L-U-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Caniveau à fond plat servant à apporter l'eau de lavage des alluvions aurifères.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ce flume a été construit pour remplacer un flume établi à flanc de coteau, exécuté en 1901.
  2. Le lavage à grande eau dans le flume, et le mercure que l'on dispose sur le fond dans des godets , séparent l'or et le retiennent mieux que ne sauraient le faire les mécanismes les plus compliqués.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "flume"?
"flume" is spelled F-L-U-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is \flym\.
What does "flume" mean?
As a noun, "flume" means: Caniveau à fond plat servant à apporter l'eau de lavage des alluvions aurifères.
How do you pronounce "flume"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flume" is \flym\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "flume" come from?
"flume" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list