broach

/bɹəʊtʃ/

//bɹəʊtʃ// noun

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

"broach" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“broach” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,824. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,824
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.

Corpus desk

Index EN-broach · broach · English

broach · rank #45,824 · 9 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,824
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bren

Nearest frequency peer: bren (-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 “broach”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “broach” 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).

broach vs broad
67% similar
broach vs Brock
50% similar
broach vs broth
67% similar

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

Key facts for broach
PropertyValue
Headwordbroach
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹəʊtʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#45,824
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “broach”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).broachlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “bren” (#45,823), “Broadbent” (#45,825), “Braithwaite” (#45,822). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “broach” is #45,824. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around broach (IPA /bɹəʊtʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,824 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for broach, with forms such as "bbroach", "borach", and "braoch". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "broad", "Brock", "broth", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *brokkos Gaulish *brokkosbor.? Vulgar Latin broccus Vulgar Latin brocca Old French brochebor. Middle English broche English broach From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, originally a femini… The correct English form is broach, spelled B-R-O-A-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.
  2. 2
    A broad chisel for stone-cutting.
  3. 3
    Alternative spelling of brooch.
  4. 4
    A spit for cooking food.
  5. 5
    An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers.
  6. 6
    A spire rising from a tower.
  7. 7
    A spit-like start on the head of a young stag.
  8. 8
    The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping.
  9. 9
    The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mr. S. had a large straw hat, and striped jacket and trousers, and his shirt fastened at the throat by a broach with Carry's hair, for he was always quite above wearing a neckcloth.
  2. She pinned a broach on her jacket. When Viv saw it, she laughed. “Is that the best you can do? A flower broach?”

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *brokkos Gaulish *brokkosbor.? Vulgar Latin broccus Vulgar Latin brocca Old French brochebor. Middle English broche English broach From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, originally a feminine form of Latin broccus, perhaps ultimately of Gaulish origin (see Scottish Gaelic bròg). Doublet of brochure.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbroach
  • borach
  • braoch
  • broacch
  • broachh
  • broahc
  • brocah
  • brroach
  • rboach

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbroach1borach2braoch2broacch1broachh1broahc2brocah2brroach1
Edit distance from "broach"

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 "broach"?
"broach" is spelled B-R-O-A-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹəʊtʃ/.
What does "broach" mean?
As a noun, "broach" means: A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.
What words are commonly confused with "broach"?
"broach" is commonly confused with "broad", "Brock", "broth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "broach"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "broach" is /bɹəʊtʃ/. 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 "broach"?
Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *brokkos Gaulish *brokkosbor.? Vulgar Latin broccus Vulgar Latin brocca Old French brochebor. Middle English broche English broach From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, originall... 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 "broach", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

brainy#45,821butane#45,827cabbie#45,829Bogdan#45,818

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

chives9 variantsclamor9 variantsbandar9 variantscoking9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list