brethren
/ˈbɹɛðɹən/
"brethren" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“brethren” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,708 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,708
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of brother
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | brethren |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɹɛðɹən/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #14,708 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “brethren” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for brethren is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɹɛðɹən/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,708 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1plural of brother
- 2kinsmen
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.
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"?
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Using “brethren”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-R-E-T-H-R-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɹɛðɹən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.