brandish

/ˈbɹændɪʃ/

//ˈbɹændɪʃ// verb

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

"brandish" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brandish” is uncommon English (frequency #74,783 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,783
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brandish · brandish · English

brandish · rank #74,783 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #74,783
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH brassard

Nearest frequency peer: brassard (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “brandish”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “brandish” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for brandish
PropertyValue
Headwordbrandish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbɹændɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#74,783
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “brandish” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).brandishfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “brassard” (#74,784), “BRCA” (#74,785), “boyo” (#74,780). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brandish” is #74,783. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

brandish is uncommon English at frequency #74,783 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbɹændɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for brandish in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English braundischen, from Old French brandiss-, stem of brandir (“to flourish a sword”), from Frankish *brandijan, from Frankish *brand (“firebrand; sword”), from Proto-Germanic *brandaz (“fire; flame; sword”), whence Old English brand (“firebr… The correct English form is brandish, spelled B-R-A-N-D-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill.
  2. 2
    To bear something with ostentatious show.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He brandished his sword at the pirates.
  2. Hvng be yͤ heauens vvith black, yield day to night; / Comets importing change of Times and States, / Brandiſh your cryſtall Treſſes in the Skie, / And vvith them ſcourge the bad reuolting Stars, / That haue conſented vnto Henries Death: / King Henry the Fift, too famous to liue long, / England ne're loſt a King of ſo much vvorth.

Etymology

From Middle English braundischen, from Old French brandiss-, stem of brandir (“to flourish a sword”), from Frankish *brandijan, from Frankish *brand (“firebrand; sword”), from Proto-Germanic *brandaz (“fire; flame; sword”), whence Old English brand (“firebrand; torch”); equivalent to brand + -ish. More at brand.

Synonyms

flourishwave

This word in other languages

esgrimir(Español)brandir(Français)schwingen(Deutsch)brandir(Português)

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 "brandish"?
"brandish" is spelled B-R-A-N-D-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹændɪʃ/.
What does "brandish" mean?
As a verb, "brandish" means: To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill.
How do you pronounce "brandish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brandish" is /ˈbɹændɪʃ/. 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 "brandish"?
From Middle English braundischen, from Old French brandiss-, stem of brandir (“to flourish a sword”), from Frankish *brandijan, from Frankish *brand (“firebrand; sword”), from Proto-Germanic *brandaz (“fire; flame; sword”), whence Old English bran... 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 "brandish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

brassard#74,784Bluffton#74,770bilinear#74,766beltline#74,763

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list