brassy

/ˈbɹɑː.si/

//ˈbɹɑː.si// adj

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

"brassy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brassy” is uncommon English (frequency #61,326 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,326
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Resembling brass.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brassy · brassy · English

brassy · rank #61,326 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,326
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bottlenose

Nearest frequency peer: bottlenose (-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 “brassy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for brassy
PropertyValue
Headwordbrassy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbɹɑː.si/
Letters6
Frequency rank#61,326
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “brassy” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).brassyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “bottlenose” (#61,325), “Bridlington” (#61,328), “BOJ” (#61,323). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brassy” is #61,326. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

brassy is uncommon English at frequency #61,326 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈbɹɑː.si/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for brassy in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From brass + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning “having the quality of”). The correct English form is brassy, spelled B-R-A-S-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resembling brass.
  2. 2
    Impudent; impudently bold.
  3. 3
    Unfeeling; pitiless.
  4. 4
    Harsh in tone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The cup had a brassy color.
  2. Don’t get brassy with me, young lady!

Etymology

From brass + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning “having the quality of”).

Synonyms

brassishbrazensassy

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 "brassy"?
"brassy" is spelled B-R-A-S-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɑː.si/.
What does "brassy" mean?
As an adjective, "brassy" means: Resembling brass.
How do you pronounce "brassy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brassy" is /ˈbɹɑː.si/. 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 "brassy"?
From brass + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning “having the quality of”). 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 "brassy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bergin#61,307Chabad#61,357Amrita#61,262Alcock#61,254

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list