birdbrain
/ˈbɜː(ɹ)d.bɹeɪn/
"birdbrain" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“birdbrain” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone who is not intelligent.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | birdbrain |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɜː(ɹ)d.bɹeɪn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “birdbrain” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for birdbrain is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɜː(ɹ)d.bɹeɪn/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Someone who is not intelligent.".
birdbrain doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From bird + brain, implying that birds, having small brains, are unintelligent (although this is untrue for many birds). The correct English form is birdbrain, spelled B-I-R-D-B-R-A-I-N.
Definition
- 1Someone who is not intelligent.
Etymology
From bird + brain, implying that birds, having small brains, are unintelligent (although this is untrue for many birds).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “birdbrain”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-I-R-D-B-R-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɜː(ɹ)d.bɹeɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.