bracket

/ˈbɹækɪt/

//ˈbɹækɪt// noun

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

"bracket" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bracket” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,018. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,018
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fixture attached to a wall to hold up a shelf.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bracket · bracket · English

bracket · rank #9,018 · 11 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,018
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bitches

Nearest frequency peer: bitches (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bracket”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bracket” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

bracket vs brake
71% similar
bracket vs bucket
71% similar
bracket vs brakes
71% similar

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

Key facts for bracket
PropertyValue
Headwordbracket
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɹækɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,018
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bracket”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bracketlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “bitches” (#9,017), “BB” (#9,016), “Bryant” (#9,020). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bracket” is #9,018. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around bracket (IPA /ˈbɹækɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,018 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for bracket, with forms such as "barcket", "bbracket", and "braccket". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "brake", "bucket", "brakes", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier bragget, *bracket, from Middle English *braget, *braket (attested in braket nail), from Old French braguette (“the opening in the fore part of a pair of breeches, one's fly”), a diminutive of Old French brague (“knickers, britches”), from Old O… The correct English form is bracket, spelled B-R-A-C-K-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fixture attached to a wall to hold up a shelf.
  2. 2
    Any intermediate object that connects a smaller part to a larger part, the smaller part typically projecting sideways from the larger part.
  3. 3
    A short crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a support.
  4. 4
    The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage, supporting the trunnions.
  5. 5
    Any of the characters “(”, “)”, “[”, “]”, “{”, “}”, “⟨”, “⟩”, “<”, “>”, or the like, used in pairs to enclose parenthetic remarks, sections of mathematical expressions, etc.
  6. 6
    Any of the characters “(”, “)”, “[”, “]”, “{”, “}”, “⟨”, “⟩”, “<”, “>”, or the like, used in pairs to enclose parenthetic remarks, sections of mathematical expressions, etc.
  7. 7
    A diagram of games in a tournament.
  8. 8
    A prediction of the outcome of games in a tournament, used for betting purposes.
  9. 9
    One of several ranges of numbers.
  10. 10
    A pair of values that represent the smallest and largest elements of a range.
  11. 11
    Typically of stationary weapons, the zone enclosed by one long and one short shot impact expected to be hit very accurately.
  12. 12
    The small curved or angular corner formed by a serif and a stroke in a letter.
  13. 13
    a mark cut into a stone by land surveyors to secure a bench.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To determine if your frame has this bottom bracket type, look for a notched and possibly knurled lockring on the left side (the side without the chainrings).
  2. Not only does the attachment on the tooth surface (called a bracket) allow the tooth to be moved vertically or tilted, but also a force couple can be generated by the interaction between the bracket and an archwire running through the bracket.

Etymology

From earlier bragget, *bracket, from Middle English *braget, *braket (attested in braket nail), from Old French braguette (“the opening in the fore part of a pair of breeches, one's fly”), a diminutive of Old French brague (“knickers, britches”), from Old Occitan braga, from Latin brāca (“pants”), from Transalpine Gaulish *brāca, from Proto-Germanic *brāks, an early form of Proto-Germanic *brōks (“leggings, breeches, trousers”).

Synonyms

parenthesesparensbenchmarkbracket

This word in other languages

consola(Español)Winkel(Deutsch)cachorro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • barcket
  • bbracket
  • braccket
  • bracekt
  • brackett
  • brackket
  • brackte
  • brakcet
  • brcaket
  • brracket
  • rbacket

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bracket - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

barcket2bbracket1braccket1bracekt2brackett1brackket1brackte2brakcet2
Edit distance from "bracket"

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 "bracket"?
"bracket" is spelled B-R-A-C-K-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹækɪt/.
What does "bracket" mean?
As a noun, "bracket" means: A fixture attached to a wall to hold up a shelf.
What words are commonly confused with "bracket"?
"bracket" is commonly confused with "brake", "bucket", "brakes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bracket"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bracket" is /ˈbɹækɪt/. 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 "bracket"?
From earlier bragget, *bracket, from Middle English *braget, *braket (attested in braket nail), from Old French braguette (“the opening in the fore part of a pair of breeches, one's fly”), a diminutive of Old French brague (“knickers, britches”), ... 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 "bracket", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bitches#9,017batting#9,015Bangkok#9,014cardiac#9,022

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

threads11 variantssuccessive11 variantsSherman11 variantssettling11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list