# broad

> English word · Adjective · IPA /bɹɔːd/ · frequency rank #2,820

## Definitions
1. Wide in extent or scope.
2. Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full.
3. Having a large measure of any thing or quality; unlimited; unrestrained.
4. Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.
5. Plain; evident.
6. General rather than specific.
7. Unsubtle; obvious.
8. Free; unrestrained; unconfined.
9. Gross; coarse; indelicate.
10. Strongly regional.
11. Velarized, i.e. not palatalized.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-der.?
Proto-Germanic *braidaz
Proto-West Germanic *braid
Old English brād
Middle English brod
English broad
From Middle English brood, brode, from Old English brād (“broad, flat, open, extended, spacious, wide, ample, copious”), from Proto-West Germanic *braid, from Proto-Germanic *braidaz (“broad, wide”), of uncertain origin.
Cognates
Cognate with Yola brode (“broad”), North Frisian bread, breeđ, briad, briid, briidj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian breed (“broad, wide”), Bavarian brad, broad (“broad, wide”), Central Franconian and Luxembourgish breet (“broad, wide”), Dutch breed (“broad, wide”), German breit (“broad, wide”), Vilamovian braat (“broad, wide”), Yiddish ברייט (breyt, “broad, wide”), Danish and Swedish bred (“broad, wide”), Faroese and Icelandic breiður (“broad, wide”), Norwegian Bokmål bred, brei (“broad, wide”), Norwegian Nynorsk brei, breid (“broad, wide”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (braiþs, “broad, wide”).

## Easily confused with
- **bros** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-bros)
- **brow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brow)
- **Brom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brom)
- **brown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brown)
- **broke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-broke)
- **Bryan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-bryan)
- **brook** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brook)
- **Brock** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brock)
- **Bronx** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-bronx)
- **broom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-broom)
- **broth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-broth)
- **brows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brows)
- **brody** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brody)
- **brood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brood)
- **brogan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brogan)
- **broader** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-broader)
- **broadly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-broadly)
- **broaden** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-broaden)
- **brocade** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/broad-vs-brocade)
- **bad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bad-vs-broad)

## Common misspellings (6)
`bbroad`, `braod`, `broadd`, `broda`, `brroad`, `rboad`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/broad