# berth

> English word · Noun · IPA /bɜːθ/ · frequency rank #16,179

## Definitions
1. Chiefly in wide berth: a sufficient space in the water for a ship or other vessel to lie at anchor or manoeuvre without getting in the way of other vessels, or colliding into rocks or the shore.
2. Chiefly in wide berth: a sufficient space in the water for a ship or other vessel to lie at anchor or manoeuvre without getting in the way of other vessels, or colliding into rocks or the shore.
3. Chiefly in wide berth: a sufficient space in the water for a ship or other vessel to lie at anchor or manoeuvre without getting in the way of other vessels, or colliding into rocks or the shore.
4. Chiefly in wide berth: a sufficient space in the water for a ship or other vessel to lie at anchor or manoeuvre without getting in the way of other vessels, or colliding into rocks or the shore.
5. An assigned place for a person in (chiefly historical) a horse-drawn coach or other means of transportation, or (military) in a barracks.
6. A bunk or other bed for sleeping on in a caravan, a train, etc.
7. A place for a vehicle on land to park.
8. An appointment, job, or position, especially one regarded as comfortable or good.
9. Chiefly in wide berth: a sufficient space for manoeuvring or safety.
10. A proper place for a thing.
11. A position or seed in a tournament bracket.
12. A position on a field of play.

## Etymology
The noun is derived from Late Middle English birth (“(nautical) bearing away or off, clearance, berth”). Further etymology uncertain, but probably from beren (“to carry (away), bear”) + -th (suffix denoting a condition, quality, state of being, etc., forming nouns); if so, the English word is analysable as bear + -th (suffix forming nouns from verbs), and is a piecewise doublet of birth.
The verb is derived from the noun.

## Easily confused with
- **bet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-bet)
- **best** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-best)
- **both** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-both)
- **beta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-beta)
- **beth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-beth)
- **bets** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-bets)
- **bruh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-bruh)
- **Burt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-burt)
- **brah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-brah)
- **Beto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-beto)
- **birth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-birth)
- **booth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-booth)
- **betty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-betty)
- **birch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-birch)
- **broth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-broth)
- **Bette** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-bette)
- **Burch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-burch)
- **beryl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-beryl)
- **burgh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-burgh)
- **betta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/berth-vs-betta)

## Common misspellings (8)
`bberth`, `berht`, `berrth`, `berthh`, `bertth`, `betrh`, `breth`, `ebrth`

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