"Flaunt" = to show off, display ostentatiously; "flout" = to openly disregard a rule or convention.
To display something ostentatiously to impress or provoke admiration/envy. To show off openly.
She flaunted her new designer bag at every opportunity.
The celebrity flaunted his wealth by arriving in a private helicopter.
If you have got it, flaunt it — that was his life philosophy.
To openly and deliberately disregard or disobey a rule, law, or social convention.
The company flouted environmental regulations for years before being caught.
She flouted convention by wearing jeans to the formal black-tie dinner.
Drivers who flout speed limits put everyone on the road at risk.
Common mistake
Writing "flaunt the rules" when you mean "flout the rules" is very common. "Flaunt the rules" would mean to show off about rules, which is possible but rarely the intended meaning. The confusion happens because both words sound similar and both carry a connotation of boldness.
Trick to remember it
FLAUNT = show off (think: flaunting something means flashing it in public). FLOUT = break or ignore (think: flouting a rule means you treat it as nothing). Quick swap test: replace with "show off" — flaunt. Replace with "ignore" or "break" — flout.
Quick rule
Flaunt = to show off, display. Flout = to disregard, break (a rule or norm).
Did you know?
"Flaunt the rules" appears so frequently that some dictionaries now list "flaunt" with the meaning of "flout" as informal usage. Merriam-Webster explicitly notes it as a confusion so common that some editors now accept it.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The restaurant openly _____ health codes by letting animals roam the kitchen.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She _____ her acceptance letter from Harvard, showing it to anyone who would listen.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Flaunt = to show off, display. Flout = to disregard, break (a rule or norm).
Writing "flaunt the rules" when you mean "flout the rules" is very common. "Flaunt the rules" would mean to show off about rules, which is possible but rarely the intended meaning. The confusion happens because both words sound similar and both carry a connotation of boldness.
FLAUNT = show off (think: flaunting something means flashing it in public). FLOUT = break or ignore (think: flouting a rule means you treat it as nothing). Quick swap test: replace with "show off" — flaunt. Replace with "ignore" or "break" — flout.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy