brake
/bɹeɪk/
"brake" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“brake” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,655. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #7,655
- frequency rank, English
- 4,121
- “B” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device used to slow or stop the motion of a wheel, or of a vehicle, usually by friction (although other resistive forces, such as electromagnetic fields or aerodynamic drag, can also be used); al...
Corpus desk
Index EN-brake · brake · English
brake · rank #7,655 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #7,655
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,121
- PHOTO-FINISH builds
Nearest frequency peer: builds (+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 “brake”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- binary
binary
92,349 corpus weight
- blend
blend
92,348 corpus weight
- brake
brake
92,346 corpus weight
- builds
builds
92,345 corpus weight
- businessman
businessman
92,344 corpus weight
- cab
cab
92,343 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “brake” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | brake |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /bɹeɪk/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #7,655 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “brake” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around brake (IPA /bɹeɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,655 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for brake, with forms such as "barke", "bbrake", and "brakke". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "brat", "bray", "bran", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Origin uncertain; possibly from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German brake (“nose ring, curb, flax brake”), which according to Watkins is related to sense 4 and from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”). The correct English form is brake, spelled B-R-A-K-E.
Definition
- 1A device used to slow or stop the motion of a wheel, or of a vehicle, usually by friction (although other resistive forces, such as electromagnetic fields or aerodynamic drag, can also be used); also, the controls or apparatus used to engage such a mechanism such as the pedal in a car.
- 2A device used to slow or stop the motion of a wheel, or of a vehicle, usually by friction (although other resistive forces, such as electromagnetic fields or aerodynamic drag, can also be used); also, the controls or apparatus used to engage such a mechanism such as the pedal in a car.
- 3A device used to slow or stop the motion of a wheel, or of a vehicle, usually by friction (although other resistive forces, such as electromagnetic fields or aerodynamic drag, can also be used); also, the controls or apparatus used to engage such a mechanism such as the pedal in a car.
- 4A device used to slow or stop the motion of a wheel, or of a vehicle, usually by friction (although other resistive forces, such as electromagnetic fields or aerodynamic drag, can also be used); also, the controls or apparatus used to engage such a mechanism such as the pedal in a car.
- 5An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.
- 6An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.
- 7The handle of a pump.
- 8A baker’s kneading trough.
- 9A device used to confine or prevent the motion of an animal.
- 10A device used to confine or prevent the motion of an animal.
- 11A device used to confine or prevent the motion of an animal.
- 12A device used to confine or prevent the motion of an animal.
- 13That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how brake appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
She slammed the brakes when she saw a child run in front of the car.
You’re pressing the brakes too hard—try just squeezing them.
Etymology
Origin uncertain; possibly from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German brake (“nose ring, curb, flax brake”), which according to Watkins is related to sense 4 and from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- barke
- bbrake
- brakke
- brkae
- brrake
- rbake
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brake - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "brake"?
What does "brake" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "brake"?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "brake", 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 (6 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "brake". Here's where to go from here.
- "brake" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "brat". View pair
- 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #7,655 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.