brethren

/ˈbɹɛðɹən/

//ˈbɹɛðɹən// noun

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

"brethren" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brethren” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,708. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,708
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of brother

Corpus desk

Index EN-brethren · brethren · English

brethren · rank #14,708 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,708
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH brandy

Nearest frequency peer: brandy (-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 “brethren”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “brethren” 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
Key facts for brethren
PropertyValue
Headwordbrethren
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɹɛðɹən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,708
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “brethren”

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).brethrenlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “brandy” (#14,707), “brink” (#14,709), “Bowen” (#14,706). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brethren” is #14,708. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around brethren (IPA /ˈbɹɛðɹən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,708 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for brethren, with forms such as "bbrethren", "berthren", and "brehtren". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Early Modern English brethren, plural of brother, from Middle English brethren, from Middle English brethere, brether + -en (plural ending). Ultimately from Old English brōþor, brōþru (“brothers, brethren”), influenced by Old English brēþer, dative sin… The correct English form is brethren, spelled B-R-E-T-H-R-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of brother
  2. 2
    kinsmen

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The Introit over, the service is interrupted for the feast. Contrary to the festive fashion of the nobles, who all sit with their swords beside them, here, in this feast of brethren, are no arms, not even a knife.

Etymology

From Early Modern English brethren, plural of brother, from Middle English brethren, from Middle English brethere, brether + -en (plural ending). Ultimately from Old English brōþor, brōþru (“brothers, brethren”), influenced by Old English brēþer, dative singular of brōþor (“brother”). Equivalent to brother + -en (plural ending). Compare German Brüder (“brothers, brethren”). More at brother. The vowel change (from o to e) is called umlaut.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbrethren
  • berthren
  • brehtren
  • brethern
  • brethhren
  • brethrenn
  • brethrne
  • brethrren
  • bretrhen
  • bretthren
  • brrethren
  • brtehren
  • rbethren

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brethren - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbrethren1berthren2brehtren2brethern2brethhren1brethrenn1brethrne2brethrren1
Edit distance from "brethren"

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 "brethren"?
"brethren" is spelled B-R-E-T-H-R-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɛðɹən/.
What does "brethren" mean?
As a noun, "brethren" means: plural of brother
What are common misspellings of "brethren"?
Common misspellings include "bbrethren", "berthren", "brehtren", "brethern", "brethhren". The correct spelling is "brethren".
How do you pronounce "brethren"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brethren" is /ˈbɹɛðɹən/. 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 "brethren"?
From Early Modern English brethren, plural of brother, from Middle English brethren, from Middle English brethere, brether + -en (plural ending). Ultimately from Old English brōþor, brōþru (“brothers, brethren”), influenced by Old English brēþer, ... 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 "brethren", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

behaving#14,701appendix#14,692anterior#14,691competed#14,725

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

coastline13 variantsauditorium13 variantsabolition13 variantswrestler13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list