breech
/ˈbɹiːt͡ʃ/noun, adverb, adjective, verb
breech is spelled B-R-E-E-C-H: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “breach vs breech” about 1,900 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, breech means “A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of breech is breeches.
How many letters and syllables are in breech?
| Letters | 6: B-R-E-E-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is breech?
Breech appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 breech?
- /ˈbɹiːt͡ʃ/
- [ˈbɹʷɪi̯t͡ʃ]
Breech has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-breech.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with breech
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: breach (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of breech
- breeches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- breeching participle, present
- breeched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does breech mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks.
- 2
archaicThe buttocks or backside.
- 3
The part of a cannon or other firearm behind the chamber.
- 4
The external angle of knee timber, the inside of which is called the throat.
- 5
A breech birth.
adverb
- 1
With the hips coming out before the head.
adjective
- 1
Born, or having been born, breech.
verb
- 1
datedTo dress in breeches. (especially) To dress a boy in breeches or trousers for the first time (the breeching ceremony).
[…] it occurred before I was breeched, and I was breeched at three years and a quarter old;
- 2
datedTo beat or spank on the buttocks.
- 3
To fit or furnish with a breech.
to breech a gun
- 4
To fasten with breeching.
- 5
obsoleteTo cover as if with breeches.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Breech in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | culotte , culasse |
| German | Hose , Schwanzschraube , Hintern, Hinterteil , Steißlage , Hosen tragen |
| Spanish | culata , parto de nalgas |
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 breech come from?
From Middle English breche, from Old English brēċ, from Proto-Germanic *brōkiz pl, from Proto-Germanic *brōks (“clothing for loins and thighs”). Cognate with Dutch broek, Alemannic German Bruech, Swedish brok. Doublet of vraka.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).