# brawl

> English word · Noun · IPA /bɹɔːl/ · frequency rank #14,282

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

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **brew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brew)
- **brow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brow)
- **bray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-bray)
- **brown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brown)
- **brows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brows)
- **brill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brill)
- **brews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brews)
- **brawn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brawn)
- **Brazil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brawl-vs-brazil)
- **bra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bra-vs-brawl)
- **bal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bal-vs-brawl)
- **ball** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ball-vs-brawl)
- **bowl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bowl-vs-brawl)
- **brad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brad-vs-brawl)
- **bail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bail-vs-brawl)
- **brag** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brag-vs-brawl)
- **brat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brat-vs-brawl)
- **bran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bran-vs-brawl)
- **brah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brah-vs-brawl)
- **beal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beal-vs-brawl)

## Common misspellings (8)
`barwl`, `bbrawl`, `bralw`, `brawll`, `brawwl`, `brrawl`, `brwal`, `rbawl`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/brawl