brainwash
/ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/
"brainwash" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“brainwash” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,543. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #43,543
- frequency rank, English
- 31,241
- “B” headwords
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda.
Corpus desk
Index EN-brainwash · brainwash · English
brainwash · rank #43,543 · 14 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #43,543
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-HIGH 14 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 31,241
- PHOTO-FINISH brags
Nearest frequency peer: brags (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “brainwash”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- Boleyn
Boleyn
56,463 corpus weight
- brags
brags
56,459 corpus weight
- brainwash
brainwash
56,458 corpus weight
- breadwinner
breadwinner
56,457 corpus weight
- Bridgend
Bridgend
56,456 corpus weight
- bulbous
bulbous
56,454 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “brainwash” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | brainwash |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #43,543 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “brainwash” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 14 spelling variants around brainwash (IPA /ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,543 among 31,241 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for brainwash, with forms such as "barinwash", "bbrainwash", and "brainawsh". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From brain + wash, a calque of Chinese 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo), literally to wash the brain. Usage via U.S. military during the Korean War. The correct English form is brainwash, spelled B-R-A-I-N-W-A-S-H.
Definition
- 1A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda.
Etymology
From brain + wash, a calque of Chinese 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo), literally to wash the brain. Usage via U.S. military during the Korean War.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- barinwash
- bbrainwash
- brainawsh
- brainnwash
- brainwahs
- brainwashh
- brainwassh
- brainwsah
- brainwwash
- braiwnash
- braniwash
- brianwash
- brrainwash
- rbainwash
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brainwash - 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.
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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "brainwash"?
What does "brainwash" mean?
What are common misspellings of "brainwash"?
How do you pronounce "brainwash"?
What is the origin of the word "brainwash"?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "brainwash", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).
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.