brim

/bɹɪm/

//bɹɪm// noun

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

"brim" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brim” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,705. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,705
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brim · brim · English

brim · rank #26,705 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,705
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH brill

Nearest frequency peer: brill (-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 “brim”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “brim” 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).

brim vs bro
50% similar
brim vs bum
50% similar
brim vs bru
50% similar

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

Key facts for brim
PropertyValue
Headwordbrim
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#26,705
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “brim”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “brill” (#26,704), “broadening” (#26,706), “Breton” (#26,703). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brim” is #26,705. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around brim (IPA /bɹɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,705 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for brim, with forms such as "bbrim", "birm", and "brimm". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bro", "bum", "bru", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English brem, brim, brimme (“bank, edge, or margin of a lake or river; shore of a sea; brink; rim”); from Old English brim (“sea, surf, or the edge of the sea or a body of water”), from Proto-Germanic *brimą (“turbulence, sur… The correct English form is brim, spelled B-R-I-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.
  2. 2
    Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.
  3. 3
    Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.
  4. 4
    Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.
  5. 5
    Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.
  6. 6
    Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.
  7. 7
    Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Yet ſtill that direful ſtroke kept on his vvay, / And falling heauie on Cambellos creſt, / Strooke him ſo hugely, that in ſvvovvne he lay, / And in his head an hideous vvound impreſt: / And ſure had it not happily found reſt / Vpon the brim of his brode plated ſhield, / It vvould haue cleft his braine dovvne to his breſt.
  2. As the bright ſunne, vvhat time his fierie teme / Tovvards the vveſterne brim begins to dravv, / Gins to abate the brightneſſe of his beme, / And feruour of his flames ſomevvhat adavv: […]

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English brem, brim, brimme (“bank, edge, or margin of a lake or river; shore of a sea; brink; rim”); from Old English brim (“sea, surf, or the edge of the sea or a body of water”), from Proto-Germanic *brimą (“turbulence, surge; surf, sea”), from Proto-Germanic *bremaną (“to roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrem- (“to hum, make a noise”). The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Bavarian Bräm (“border, stripe”) * Danish bræmme (“border, edge, brim”) * German Bräme, Brame (“border, edge”) * Swedish bräm (“border, edge”) * Icelandic barmur (“edge, verge, brink”)

This word in other languages

borde(Español)bord(Français)Rand(Deutsch)aba(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbrim
  • birm
  • brimm
  • brmi
  • brrim
  • rbim

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brim - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbrim1birm2brimm1brmi2brrim1rbim2
Edit distance from "brim"

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 "brim"?
"brim" is spelled B-R-I-M. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹɪm/.
What does "brim" mean?
As a noun, "brim" means: Originally, a border or edge of a sea, a river, or other body of water; now, any border or edge.
What words are commonly confused with "brim"?
"brim" is commonly confused with "bro", "bum", "bru". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brim"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brim" is /bɹɪm/. 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 "brim"?
The noun is derived from Middle English brem, brim, brimme (“bank, edge, or margin of a lake or river; shore of a sea; brink; rim”); from Old English brim (“sea, surf, or the edge of the sea or a body of water”), from Proto-Germanic *brimą (“turbu... 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 "brim", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bess#26,696Chao#26,718aloe#26,674yawn#26,663

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

brill6 variantscorral6 variantsAiden6 variantsaegis6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list