brigand

/ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd/

//ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd// noun

"brigand" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brigand” is an uncommon English word, ranked #75,679 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#75,679
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An outlaw or bandit.

Key facts for brigand
PropertyValue
Headwordbrigand
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#75,679
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “brigand” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). brigand lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for brigand is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd/. Corpus data places it at rank #75,679 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "An outlaw or bandit.".

brigand doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English brigaunt, bregaund circa 1400, from Old French brigand (“foot soldier”) attested from 1421, from Italian briga (“trouble, bother”), perhaps ultimately of Proto-Germanic or Celtic origin. The correct English form is brigand, spelled B-R-I-G-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    An outlaw or bandit.

Etymology

From Middle English brigaunt, bregaund circa 1400, from Old French brigand (“foot soldier”) attested from 1421, from Italian briga (“trouble, bother”), perhaps ultimately of Proto-Germanic or Celtic origin.

This word in other languages

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 "brigand"?
"brigand" is spelled B-R-I-G-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd/.
What does "brigand" mean?
As a noun, "brigand" means: An outlaw or bandit.
How do you pronounce "brigand"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brigand" is /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd/. 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 "brigand"?
From Middle English brigaunt, bregaund circa 1400, from Old French brigand (“foot soldier”) attested from 1421, from Italian briga (“trouble, bother”), perhaps ultimately of Proto-Germanic or Celtic origin. 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.

Using “brigand”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-R-I-G-A-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list