phlox

\flɔks\

/\flɔks\/ noun

The verdict

“phlox” is uncommon French (frequency #92,043 among 248,534 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,043
frequency rank, French
248,534
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Genre de Polémoniacées, originaire de l’Asie et de l’Amérique septentrionales, à fleurs violettes, purpurines ou blanches, qui sont cultivées comme plantes d’agrément.

Key facts for phlox
PropertyValue
Headwordphlox
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\flɔks\
Letters5
Frequency rank#92,043
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “phlox” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). phlox lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

phlox is uncommon French at frequency #92,043 among 248,534 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \flɔks\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Genre de Polémoniacées, originaire de l’Asie et de l’Amérique septentrionales, à fleurs violettes, purpurines ou blanches, qui sont cultivées comme plantes d’agrément.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for phlox, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is phlox, spelled P-H-L-O-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Genre de Polémoniacées, originaire de l’Asie et de l’Amérique septentrionales, à fleurs violettes, purpurines ou blanches, qui sont cultivées comme plantes d’agrément.

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "phlox"?
"phlox" is spelled P-H-L-O-X. The IPA pronunciation is \flɔks\.
What does "phlox" mean?
As a noun, "phlox" means: Genre de Polémoniacées, originaire de l’Asie et de l’Amérique septentrionales, à fleurs violettes, purpurines ou blanches, qui sont cultivées comme plantes d’agrément.
How do you pronounce "phlox"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phlox" is \flɔks\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "phlox" come from?
"phlox" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “phlox”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is P-H-L-O-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \flɔks\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list