NYT Dictionary

FLAKE

/fleɪk/
NounVerbFLAKEflake · 1 syllableGrade 1

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

A loose filmy mass or a thin chiplike layer of anything

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English flake (“a flake of snow”), from Old English flacca and/or Old Norse flak (“loose or torn piece”) (compare Old Norse flakna (“to flake or chip”)), from Proto-Germanic *flaką (“something flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat, broad, plain”). Cognate with Norwegian flak (“slice, sliver”, literally “piece torn off”), Swedish flak (“a thin slice”), Danish flage (“flake”), German Flocke (“flake”), Dutch vlak (“smooth surface, plain”) and vlok (“flake”), as well as with Latin plaga (“flat surface, district, region”) and Welsh llech (“slate, tablet”). Doublet of plage.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

fleaksnowflakeeccentricoddballgeekbitchipfleckscrappeel

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 4 recorded puzzles:

Join the Spelling Bee Community

Get solving strategies, rare word lists, and puzzle tips in your inbox every week.