brace

/bɹeɪs/

//bɹeɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“brace” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,820. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,820
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Armor for the arm; vambrace.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brace · brace · English

brace · rank #10,820 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,820
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bleed

Nearest frequency peer: bleed (-2 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “brace”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “brace” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

brace vs brad
60% similar
brace vs brag
60% similar
brace vs brat
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for brace
PropertyValue
Headwordbrace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹeɪs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,820
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “brace” 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). brace lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around brace (IPA /bɹeɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,820 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for brace, with forms such as "barce", "bbrace", and "bracce". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "brad", "brag", "brat", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English brace, from Old French brace (“arm”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of bracchium (“arm”). The correct English form is brace, spelled B-R-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Armor for the arm; vambrace.
  2. 2
    A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.
  3. 3
    A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
  4. 4
    That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
  5. 5
    A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
  6. 6
    A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.
  7. 7
    The state of being braced or tight; tension.
  8. 8
    Harness; warlike preparation.
  9. 9
    A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in {role, roll}; in music, used to connect staves.
  10. 10
    A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally (e.g., a brace of conies) and then other things, but rarely human persons. (In British use (as plural), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.)
  11. 11
    A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell.
  12. 12
    A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
  13. 13
    The mouth of a shaft.
  14. 14
    Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
  15. 15
    A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.
  16. 16
    Two goals scored by one player in a game.
  17. 17
    Two wickets taken with two consecutive deliveries.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a brace and bit
  2. The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as the braces of the war drum do in that.

Etymology

From Middle English brace, from Old French brace (“arm”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of bracchium (“arm”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • barce
  • bbrace
  • bracce
  • braec
  • brcae
  • brrace
  • rbace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brace - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

barce2bbrace1bracce1braec2brcae2brrace1rbace2
Edit distance from "brace"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "brace"?
"brace" is spelled B-R-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹeɪs/.
What does "brace" mean?
As a noun, "brace" means: Armor for the arm; vambrace.
What words are commonly confused with "brace"?
"brace" is commonly confused with "brad", "brag", "brat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brace" is /bɹeɪs/. 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 "brace"?
From Middle English brace, from Old French brace (“arm”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of bracchium (“arm”). 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 "brace", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "brace". Here's where to go from here.

  • "brace" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "brad". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #10,820 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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