brilliant

/ˈbɹɪljənt/

//ˈbɹɪljənt// adj

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

"brilliant" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brilliant” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,716. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,716
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Shining brightly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brilliant · brilliant · English

brilliant · rank #2,716 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,716
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH ban

Nearest frequency peer: ban (-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 “brilliant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “brilliant” 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).

brilliant vs brilliantly
82% similar
brilliant vs brilliance
80% similar

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

Key facts for brilliant
PropertyValue
Headwordbrilliant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbɹɪljənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,716
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “brilliant”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).brilliantlands 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 “ban” (#2,715), “carbon” (#2,717), “attend” (#2,714). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brilliant” is #2,716. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around brilliant (IPA /ˈbɹɪljənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,716 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for brilliant, with forms such as "bbrilliant", "birlliant", and "briliant". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "brilliantly", "brilliance", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus (“a beryl, gem, eyeglass”), from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”). The correct English form is brilliant, spelled B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Shining brightly.
  2. 2
    Both bright and saturated.
  3. 3
    Having a sharp, clear tone.
  4. 4
    Of surpassing excellence; magnificent.
  5. 5
    Highly intelligent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the brilliant lights along the promenade
  2. butterflies with brilliant blue wings

Etymology

Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus (“a beryl, gem, eyeglass”), from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”).

Synonyms

glitteringshiningexcellentdistinctivestrikingsuperbexceptionalgloriousmagnificentmarvellousmarveloussplendidwonderfulbrainyingenious

This word in other languages

brillante(Español)brillant(Français)strahlend(Deutsch)brilhante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbrilliant
  • birlliant
  • briliant
  • brililant
  • brillaint
  • brilliannt
  • brilliantt
  • brilliatn
  • brillinat
  • brliliant
  • brrilliant
  • rbilliant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brilliant - 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.

bbrilliant1birlliant2briliant1brililant2brillaint2brilliannt1brilliantt1brilliatn2
Edit distance from "brilliant"

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 "brilliant"?
"brilliant" is spelled B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɪljənt/.
What does "brilliant" mean?
As an adjective, "brilliant" means: Shining brightly.
What words are commonly confused with "brilliant"?
"brilliant" is commonly confused with "brilliantly", "brilliance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brilliant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brilliant" is /ˈbɹɪljənt/. 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 "brilliant"?
Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus (“a beryl, gem, eyeglass”), from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”). 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 "brilliant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

existence#2,732personnel#2,693hopefully#2,681practices#2,752

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

catholic12 variantsdeclared12 variantssleeping12 variantsPakistan12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list