brindle

noun

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

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

The verdict

“brindle” is uncommon English (frequency #61,329 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,329
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A streaky colouration in animals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brindle · brindle · English

brindle · rank #61,329 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,329
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bridlington

Nearest frequency peer: Bridlington (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “brindle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “brindle” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for brindle
PropertyValue
Headwordbrindle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#61,329
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “brindle” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Bridlington” (#61,328), “Brix” (#61,330), “brassy” (#61,326). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brindle” is #61,329. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

brindle is uncommon English at frequency #61,329 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

brindle doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from brindled, a variant of brinded (“streaked, spotted”), apparently reanalyzed as brindle + -ed. Attested from the late seventeenth century. The correct English form is brindle, spelled B-R-I-N-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A streaky colouration in animals.
  2. 2
    An animal so coloured.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I snatch at the puppy closest to me, the brindle, which is limp in my hand, and shove it down my shirt.

Etymology

Back-formation from brindled, a variant of brinded (“streaked, spotted”), apparently reanalyzed as brindle + -ed. Attested from the late seventeenth century.

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 "brindle"?
"brindle" is spelled B-R-I-N-D-L-E.
What does "brindle" mean?
As a noun, "brindle" means: A streaky colouration in animals.
What is the origin of the word "brindle"?
Back-formation from brindled, a variant of brinded (“streaked, spotted”), apparently reanalyzed as brindle + -ed. Attested from the late seventeenth century. 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 "brindle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bumming#61,334blitzed#61,320Caliban#61,342bellman#61,300

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list