brimstone

/ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/

//ˈbɹɪmstəʊn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“brimstone” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,055 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#36,055
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The sulfur of hell; hell, damnation.

Key facts for brimstone
PropertyValue
Headwordbrimstone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#36,055
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “brimstone” 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). brimstone 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 brimstone is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,055 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for brimstone, with forms such as "bbrimstone", "birmstone", and "brimmstone". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English brymston, brimston, bremston, forms of brinston, brenston, bernston, from Old English brynstān (“brimstone”, literally “burn-stone”), equivalent to brian + stone, or burn + stone. Cognate with Scots brunstane (“brimstone”), Icelandic bre… The correct English form is brimstone, spelled B-R-I-M-S-T-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sulfur of hell; hell, damnation.
  2. 2
    Sulfur.
  3. 3
    A whore.
  4. 4
    Used attributively as an intensifier in exclamations.
  5. 5
    The butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni of the Pieridae family.
  6. 6
    Online content of exceptionally poor quality, lower than coal.

Etymology

From Middle English brymston, brimston, bremston, forms of brinston, brenston, bernston, from Old English brynstān (“brimstone”, literally “burn-stone”), equivalent to brian + stone, or burn + stone. Cognate with Scots brunstane (“brimstone”), Icelandic brennisteinn (“sulfur / sulphur, brimstone”), German Bernstein (“amber”). Compare also brimfire. More at burn, stone. Although once a synonym for sulfur, the word is now largely restricted to poetic and Biblical usage.

This word in other languages

citron(Français)Zitronenfalter(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbrimstone,birmstone,brimmstone,brimsotne,brimsstone,brimstnoe,brimstoen,brimstonne,brimsttone,brimtsone,brismtone,brmistone,brrimstone,rbimstone

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brimstone - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbrimstone1birmstone2brimmstone1brimsotne2brimsstone1brimstnoe2brimstoen2brimstonne1
Edit distance from "brimstone"

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 "brimstone"?
"brimstone" is spelled B-R-I-M-S-T-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/.
What does "brimstone" mean?
As a noun, "brimstone" means: The sulfur of hell; hell, damnation.
What are common misspellings of "brimstone"?
Common misspellings include "bbrimstone", "birmstone", "brimmstone", "brimsotne", "brimsstone". The correct spelling is "brimstone".
How do you pronounce "brimstone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brimstone" is /ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/. 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 "brimstone"?
From Middle English brymston, brimston, bremston, forms of brinston, brenston, bernston, from Old English brynstān (“brimstone”, literally “burn-stone”), equivalent to brian + stone, or burn + stone. Cognate with Scots brunstane (“brimstone”), Ice... 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 “brimstone”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-R-I-M-S-T-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/ (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