brat

/bɹæt/

//bɹæt// noun

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

"brat" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brat” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,971 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,971
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A human child.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

brat vs Bt
25% similar
brat vs but
50% similar
brat vs bro
50% similar

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

Key facts for brat
PropertyValue
Headwordbrat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹæt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,971
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “brat” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for brat is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɹæt/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,971 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for brat, with forms such as "bbrat", "bratt", and "brrat". 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, "Bt", "but", "bro", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”). Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged… The correct English form is brat, spelled B-R-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A human child.
  2. 2
    A human child.
  3. 3
    A human child.
  4. 4
    A human child.
  5. 5
    A human child.
  6. 6
    A turbot or flatfish.
  7. 7
    A rough cloak or ragged garment.
  8. 8
    A coarse kind of apron for keeping the clothes clean; a bib.
  9. 9
    The young of an animal.

Etymology

Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”). Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)). In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat.

This word in other languages

mimado(Español)morveux(Français)Balg(Deutsch)pirralho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbrat,bratt,brrat,brta,rbat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brat - 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.

bbrat1bratt1brrat1brta2rbat2
Edit distance from "brat"

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 "brat"?
"brat" is spelled B-R-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹæt/.
What does "brat" mean?
As a noun, "brat" means: A human child.
What words are commonly confused with "brat"?
"brat" is commonly confused with "Bt", "but", "bro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brat" is /bɹæt/. 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 "brat"?
Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”). Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift... 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.

Using “brat”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-R-A-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bɹæt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Bt” - see the side-by-side comparison. brat vs Bt
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list