# bray

> English word · Verb · IPA /bɹeɪ/ · frequency rank #19,275

## Definitions
1. Of an animal (now chiefly of animals related to the ass or donkey, and the camel): to make its cry.
2. To make a harsh, discordant sound like a donkey's bray.
3. To make or utter (a shout, sound, etc.) discordantly, loudly, or in a harsh and grating manner.

## Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English brayen, brai, bray, braye (“of a person or animal: to vocalize loudly; of the weather: to make a loud sound, howl, roar”), from Old French brai, braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to cry or shout out”) (modern French braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”)), possibly from Vulgar Latin *bragiō, from Gaulish *bragu (compare Breton breugiñ (“to bray”), brammañ (“to flatulate”), Cornish bramma, brabma (“to flatulate”), Old Irish braigid (“to flatulate”)), from Proto-Celtic *brageti, *bragyeti (“to flatulate”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreHg- (“to flatulate; to stink”); cognate with Latin fragrō (“to smell”). Alternatively, the word could be from a Germanic source, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), and cognate with frangere (“to break, shatter”).
The noun is derived from the verb, or from Middle English brai, brait (“shriek; outcry”), from Old French brai, brait (“a cry”), from braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”); see above.

## Easily confused with
- **by** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-by)
- **buy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-buy)
- **bro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bro)
- **BRB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-brb)
- **BSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bsa)
- **Bri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bri)
- **bru** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bru)
- **busy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-busy)
- **bros** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bros)
- **bury** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bury)
- **bred** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bred)
- **brew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-brew)
- **Brit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-brit)
- **brow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-brow)
- **bruh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bruh)
- **brig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-brig)
- **bree** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-bree)
- **brie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-brie)
- **brim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-brim)
- **buoy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bray-vs-buoy)

## Common misspellings (5)
`bbray`, `brayy`, `brray`, `brya`, `rbay`

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