brave

/bɹeɪv/

//bɹeɪv// adj

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

"brave" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brave” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,064. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,064
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Strong in the face of fear; courageous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brave · brave · English

brave · rank #4,064 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,064
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH boots

Nearest frequency peer: boots (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “brave”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “brave” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

brave vs bray
60% similar
brave vs bree
60% similar
brave vs brie
60% similar

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

Key facts for brave
PropertyValue
Headwordbrave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bɹeɪv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,064
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “brave”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “boots” (#4,063), “claiming” (#4,065), “boom” (#4,062). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brave” is #4,064. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around brave (IPA /bɹeɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,064 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for brave, with forms such as "barve", "bbrave", and "braev". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bray", "bree", "brie", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French brave, borrowed from Italian bravo, itself of uncertain origin (see there). Doublet of bravo. The correct English form is brave, spelled B-R-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Strong in the face of fear; courageous.
  2. 2
    Having any sort of superiority or excellence.
  3. 3
    Making a fine show or display.
  4. 4
    Foolish or unwise.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For miſerie doth braueſt mindes abate, / And make them ſeeke for that they wont to ſcorne, / Of fortune and of hope at once forlorne.
  2. Do not fret, dear. You must be brave and strong, and help me through the horrible task. If you only knew what an effort it is to me to tell of this fearful thing at all, you would understand how much I need your help.

Etymology

From Middle French brave, borrowed from Italian bravo, itself of uncertain origin (see there). Doublet of bravo.

Synonyms

adventurousmettlesomeawelessbadboldbrass-balledchivalrouscourageousdaredevildaringdauntlessdoughtyfearlessfortitudinousgallantgutsyheroicintrepidlionheartedorpedpluckystalwartstalworthstoutheartedunafraidundauntedvaliantvalorousventuresome

Antonyms

afraidcowardlycautiousfearfulfrightenedmeekshytimiduncourageousunhearty

This word in other languages

valiente(Español)courageux(Français)tapfer(Deutsch)bravo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • barve
  • bbrave
  • braev
  • bravve
  • brrave
  • brvae
  • rbave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brave - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

barve2bbrave1braev2bravve1brrave1brvae2rbave2
Edit distance from "brave"

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 "brave"?
"brave" is spelled B-R-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹeɪv/.
What does "brave" mean?
As an adjective, "brave" means: Strong in the face of fear; courageous.
What words are commonly confused with "brave"?
"brave" is commonly confused with "bray", "bree", "brie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brave" is /bɹeɪv/. 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 "brave"?
From Middle French brave, borrowed from Italian bravo, itself of uncertain origin (see there). Doublet of bravo. 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 "brave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

boots#4,063billy#4,061arena#4,058alert#4,057

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

commit7 variantsoccurs7 variantsjokes7 variantsflood7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list