# bream

> English word · Noun · IPA /bɹiːm/ · frequency rank #42,037

## Definitions
1. A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the genus Abramis, little valued as food. Several species are known.
2. A species in that genus, Abramis brama.
3. An American fresh-water fish, of various species of Lepomis and allied genera, which are also called sunfishes and pondfishes.
4. A marine sparoid fish of the genus Pagellus, and allied genera.

## Etymology
From Middle English breme, from Old French breme, bresme, braisme, brasme (whence French brème), from Frankish *brahsma, *brahsima (whence Dutch brasem), from Proto-West Germanic *brahsmō (whence Old High German brahsma, brahsmo, brahsina, brehsina (whence German Brasse, Brachse (“bream”))), from Proto-Germanic *brahsmô, *brahsinō, *brahsmaz (“bream”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *brehwanaz (“shining, glittery, sparkly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerek- (“to shine”) (see braid (verb)).

## Easily confused with
- **bred** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-bred)
- **brew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brew)
- **bree** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-bree)
- **brim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brim)
- **Brom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brom)
- **bren** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-bren)
- **broad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-broad)
- **Brian** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brian)
- **breed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-breed)
- **Bryan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-bryan)
- **brett** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brett)
- **Brent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brent)
- **broom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-broom)
- **brews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brews)
- **briar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-briar)
- **Brest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-brest)
- **breath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-breath)
- **bureau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-bureau)
- **breast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bream-vs-breast)
- **bra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bra-vs-bream)

## Common misspellings (7)
`bbream`, `beram`, `braem`, `breamm`, `brema`, `brream`, `rbeam`

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