# brutal vs brute

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### brutal
*adjective · IPA /ˈbɹuː.təl/ · frequency rank #6,030*
Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel, often in an unintelligent manner.

### brute
*adjective · IPA /bɹuːt/ · frequency rank #16,657*
Without reason or intelligence (of animals).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brutal-vs-brute