breed
/ˈbɹiːd/verb, noun
breed is spelled B-R-E-E-D: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, breed means “To produce offspring sexually; to bear young” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in breed?
| Letters | 5: B-R-E-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is breed?
Breed appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th 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 breed?
- /ˈbɹiːd/
- [ˈbɹʷɪi̯d]
Breed has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-breed.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with breed?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as breed.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: brede.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of breed
- breeds present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- breeding participle, present
- bred participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does breed mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.
- 2
To give birth to; to be the native place of.
A pond breeds fish.
- 3
To mate.
- 4
To keep (animals) and have (them) reproduce in a way that improves the next generation's qualities.
- 5
To arrange the mating of (specific animals).
She wanted to breed her cow to the neighbor's registered bull.
- 6
To propagate or grow (plants) in an effort to give (them) certain qualities.
He tries to breed blue roses.
- 7
To take care of in infancy and through childhood; to bring up.
born and bred
- 8
To yield or result in.
disaster breeds famine
noun
- 1
All animals or plants of the same species or subspecies.
a breed of tulip
- 2
A race or lineage; offspring or issue.
- 3
informalA group of people with shared characteristics.
People who were taught classical Greek and Latin at school are a dying breed.
- 4
derogatoryEllipsis of half-breed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Breed in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se reproduire, engendrer , élever , race |
| German | aufziehen, erzeugen, züchten , sich paaren, brüten , Rasse |
| Portuguese | procriar , criar , cruzar , raça , cultivar , gerar |
| Spanish | criar , criar selectivamente , casta , aparearse , raza, variedad |
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 breed come from?
Inherited from Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan, from Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną (“to brood”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“warm”). Cognate with Scots brede, breid, Saterland Frisian briede, West Frisian briede, Low German bröden, Dutch broeden, German brüten.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).