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PlainSpell

brawl

UK /bɹɔːl/noun, verb

brawl is spelled B-R-A-W-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, brawl means “A disorderly argument or fight, usually with a large number of people involved” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of brawl is brawls.

How many letters and syllables are in brawl?

Letters5: B-R-A-W-L
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is brawl?

Brawl appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce brawl?

  • UK /bɹɔːl/
  • British /bɹoːl/
  • /bɹɔl/

Brawl has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-brawl.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with brawl?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as brawl from its last stressed vowel (/ɔl/, British pronunciation):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of brawl

  • brawls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • brawling participle, present
  • brawled participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does brawl mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A disorderly argument or fight, usually with a large number of people involved.

  2. 2

    obsoleteA type of dance move or step.

  3. 3

    Alternative form of branle (“dance of French origin dating from the 16th century, performed by couples in a circle or a line; the music for this dance”).

verb

  1. 1

    To engage in a brawl; to fight or quarrel.

  2. 2

    To create a disturbance; to complain loudly.

  3. 3

    Especially of a rapid stream running over stones: to make a loud, confused noise.

  4. 4

    To pour abuse on; to scold.

  5. 5

    obsoleteTo move to and fro, to quiver, to shake.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Brawl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchbagarre, rixe, baston (disorderly argument or fight), se bagarrer (to engage in a brawl – see also fight, quarrel)
GermanRauferei, Schlägerei, Getümmel, Prügelei (disorderly argument or fight), raufen (to engage in a brawl – see also fight, quarrel)
Portugueserixa, briga, confronto, pancadaria (disorderly argument or fight), lutar, brigar (to engage in a brawl – see also fight, quarrel)
Spanishpelea, trifulca, camorra, pugna (disorderly argument or fight), pelear, camorrear (to engage in a brawl – see also fight, quarrel)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does brawl come from?

The verb is derived from Late Middle English braulen, brall, brallen (“to clamour, to shout; to quarrel; to boast”); further etymology is uncertain, but the word could be related to bray and ultimately imitative. It may be cognate with Danish bralle (“to chatter, jabber”), Dutch brallen (“to boast”), Low German brallen (“to brag”), Middle High German prālen (“to boast, flaunt”) (modern German prahlen (“to boast, flaunt, vaunt”)). The noun is derived from Middle English brall, bralle, braul, braule, brawle (“disturbance, squabble; brawl”), from the verb braulen: see above.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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