# bristle vs brittle

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### bristle
*noun · IPA /ˈbɹɪsəl/ · frequency rank #39,226*
A stiff or coarse hair on a nonhuman mammal or on a plant.

### brittle
*adjective · IPA /ˈbɹɪtl̩/ · frequency rank #20,054*
Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bristle-vs-brittle