breech

/bɹiːt͡ʃ/

//bɹiːt͡ʃ// noun

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

"breech" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“breech” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,302. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,302
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-breech · breech · English

breech · rank #32,302 · 9 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,302
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH brats

Nearest frequency peer: brats (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “breech”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “breech” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

breech vs breed
67% similar
breech vs breeze
67% similar
breech vs breeds
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for breech
PropertyValue
Headwordbreech
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹiːt͡ʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#32,302
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “breech”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).breechlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “brats” (#32,301), “breezes” (#32,303), “boop” (#32,300). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “breech” is #32,302. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around breech (IPA /bɹiːt͡ʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,302 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for breech, with forms such as "bbreech", "berech", and "breceh". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "breed", "breeze", "breeds", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is breech, spelled B-R-E-E-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks.
  2. 2
    The buttocks or backside.
  3. 3
    The part of a cannon or other firearm behind the chamber.
  4. 4
    The external angle of knee timber, the inside of which is called the throat.
  5. 5
    A breech birth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how breech appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 'Lat be,' quod he, ‘it shal nat be, so theech! Thou woldest make me kisse thyn old breech, And swere it were a relik of a seint,
  2. The stallion lipped Alanna’s breech pockets. “He’s spoiled rotten.” Fishing a lump of sugar out, she fed it to him.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

culata(Español)culotte(Français)Hose(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbreech
  • berech
  • breceh
  • brech
  • breecch
  • breechh
  • breehc
  • brreech
  • rbeech

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of breech - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbreech1berech2breceh2brech1breecch1breechh1breehc2brreech1
Edit distance from "breech"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "breech"?
"breech" is spelled B-R-E-E-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹiːt͡ʃ/.
What does "breech" mean?
As a noun, "breech" means: A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks.
What words are commonly confused with "breech"?
"breech" is commonly confused with "breed", "breeze", "breeds". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "breech"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "breech" is /bɹiːt͡ʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "breech"?
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. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "breech", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

caliph#32,307celiac#32,311ballon#32,289choppy#32,319

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

buttery9 variantsasexual9 variantsArmagh9 variantsAngers9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list