break down

verb

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

"break-down" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“break down” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To stop functioning.

Key facts for break down
PropertyValue
Headwordbreak down
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “break down” sits in English frequency

break down falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for break down is 10 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

break down doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is break down, spelled B-R-E-A-K- -D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To stop functioning.
  2. 2
    To unexpectedly collapse, physically or in structure.
  3. 3
    To intentionally demolish; to pull down.
  4. 4
    To fail, especially socially or for political reasons.
  5. 5
    To give in or give up: relent, concede, surrender.
  6. 6
    To render or to become unstable due to stress, to collapse physically or mentally.
  7. 7
    To render or to become weak and ineffective.
  8. 8
    To (cause to) decay, to decompose.
  9. 9
    To separate into a number of parts.
  10. 10
    To divide into parts to give more details, to provide a more indepth analysis of.
  11. 11
    To digest.
  12. 12
    Bust down or bust a move; the act of performing energetic, often freestyle or hip-hop moves, frequently during a song’s instrumental break where only drums or bass are playing.

This word in other languages

descomponerse(Español)tomber en panne(Français)versagen(Deutsch)cessar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "break down"?
"break down" is spelled B-R-E-A-K- -D-O-W-N.
What does "break down" mean?
As a verb, "break down" means: To stop functioning.
What language does "break down" come from?
"break down" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “break down”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-R-E-A-K- -D-O-W-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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