braai

/bɹaɪ/

//bɹaɪ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"braai" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“braai” is uncommon English (frequency #87,095 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,095
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A barbecue (grill), especially an open outdoor grill built specifically for the purpose of braaing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-braai · braai · English

braai · rank #87,095 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,095
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bretons

Nearest frequency peer: Bretons (+3 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “braai”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “braai” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for braai
PropertyValue
Headwordbraai
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#87,095
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “braai” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).braaifalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Bretons” (#87,098), “Boothroyd” (#87,090), “Brockville” (#87,100). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “braai” is #87,095. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

braai is uncommon English at frequency #87,095 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bɹaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for braai, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Afrikaans braai (“to grill”), from Dutch braden (“roast”). The correct English form is braai, spelled B-R-A-A-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A barbecue (grill), especially an open outdoor grill built specifically for the purpose of braaing.
  2. 2
    A social meeting including the braaing of meat; a cookout.
  3. 3
    Meat cooked by this method.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how braai appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Come over to our place for a braai.

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans braai (“to grill”), from Dutch braden (“roast”).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "braai"?
"braai" is spelled B-R-A-A-I. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹaɪ/.
What does "braai" mean?
As a noun, "braai" means: A barbecue (grill), especially an open outdoor grill built specifically for the purpose of braaing.
How do you pronounce "braai"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "braai" is /bɹaɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "braai"?
Borrowed from Afrikaans braai (“to grill”), from Dutch braden (“roast”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "braai", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bipod#87,077bigge#87,074Bessy#87,068befit#87,064

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list