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 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,095
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A barbecue (grill), especially an open outdoor grill built specifically for the purpose of braaing.

Key facts for braai
PropertyValue
Headwordbraai
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#87,095
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “braai” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

braai is uncommon English at frequency #87,095 among 31,241 “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.

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.

Using “braai”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-R-A-A-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bɹaɪ/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list