Broadway

/ˈbɹɔdweɪ/

//ˈbɹɔdweɪ// name

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

"broadway" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Broadway” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,216. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,216
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A street name, typically for a wide road: a specific broad way.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Broadway vs broadly
63% similar

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

Key facts for Broadway
PropertyValue
HeadwordBroadway
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈbɹɔdweɪ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,216
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Broadway” 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). Broadway lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Broadway (IPA /ˈbɹɔdweɪ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #6,216 among 31,241 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 19 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Broadway, with forms such as "bbroadway", "boradway", and "braodway". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "broadly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, a proprialization from broadway. The Old English words "brad weg" have been used to name wide roads and associated settlements, in common noun and proper noun forms, for over a thousand years. Documented examples include Broadway, Somer… The correct English form is Broadway, spelled B-R-O-A-D-W-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A street name, typically for a wide road: a specific broad way.
  2. 2
    A place name for a settlement which grew up around such a road. For example, Broadway, Worcestershire, Broadway, Somerset.
  3. 3
    The wide road which runs diagonally through Manhattan, New York City.
  4. 4
    The theater district of Manhattan.
  5. 5
    The theatres in the Broadway theatre district; especially those covered by contracts between the owners and theatrical unions.
  6. 6
    The American theater industry.
  7. 7
    The government of Manitoba (from the Legislative Building's address, on Broadway).
  8. 8
    Two villages in England:
  9. 9
    Two villages in England:
  10. 10
    A hamlet in The Havens community, Pembrokeshire, Wales (OS grid ref SM8713).
  11. 11
    A village in County Wexford, Ireland.
  12. 12
    A community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
  13. 13
    A settlement in the United States:
  14. 14
    A settlement in the United States:
  15. 15
    A settlement in the United States:
  16. 16
    A settlement in the United States:
  17. 17
    A settlement in the United States:
  18. 18
    A locality in the Upper Lachlan council area, south eastern New South Wales, Australia.
  19. 19
    A rare surname

Etymology

By surface analysis, a proprialization from broadway. The Old English words "brad weg" have been used to name wide roads and associated settlements, in common noun and proper noun forms, for over a thousand years. Documented examples include Broadway, Somerset and Broadway, Worcestershire, England, which are listed in the Domesday Book census of 1086AD as "Bradewie" and "Bradeweia" respectively. Sense of “government of Manitoba” is from the address of the Manitoba Legislative Building, on Broadway in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbroadway
  • boradway
  • braodway
  • broadawy
  • broaddway
  • broadwayy
  • broadwway
  • broadwya
  • broawday
  • brodaway
  • brroadway
  • rboadway

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbroadway1boradway2braodway2broadawy2broaddway1broadwayy1broadwway1broadwya2
Edit distance from "Broadway"

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 "Broadway"?
"Broadway" is spelled B-R-O-A-D-W-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɔdweɪ/.
What does "Broadway" mean?
As a proper noun, "Broadway" means: A street name, typically for a wide road: a specific broad way.
What words are commonly confused with "Broadway"?
"Broadway" is commonly confused with "broadly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Broadway"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Broadway" is /ˈbɹɔdweɪ/. 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 "Broadway"?
By surface analysis, a proprialization from broadway. The Old English words "brad weg" have been used to name wide roads and associated settlements, in common noun and proper noun forms, for over a thousand years. Documented examples include Broad... 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 “Broadway”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-R-O-A-D-W-A-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɹɔdweɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “broadly” - see the side-by-side comparison. Broadway vs broadly
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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