brothel

/ˈbɹɔθəl/

//ˈbɹɔθəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“brothel” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,576. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,576
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A house of prostitution.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brothel · brothel · English

brothel · rank #20,576 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,576
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH burrito

Nearest frequency peer: burrito (+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 “brothel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “brothel” 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).

brothel vs brother
86% similar
brothel vs brothers
75% similar
brothel vs brotherly
78% similar

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

Key facts for brothel
PropertyValue
Headwordbrothel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɹɔθəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,576
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “brothel”

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).brothellands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “burrito” (#20,577), “borg” (#20,574), “bytes” (#20,578). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brothel” is #20,576. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around brothel (IPA /ˈbɹɔθəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,576 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A house of prostitution.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for brothel, with forms such as "bbrothel", "borthel", and "brohtel". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "brother", "brothers", "brotherly", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Short for brothel-house (“house of prostitution”), from brothel (“a wretch; scoundrel; lecher; harlot; prostitute”) + house, influenced by bordel. For more on brothel (“a wretch”), see below. The correct English form is brothel, spelled B-R-O-T-H-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A house of prostitution.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thus, during the last four years, I have visited brothels about every ten days or two weeks. Only seldom does coitus fail; for I have learned my peculiarities, and in the choice of a prostitute know immediately whether she will excite me or have no effect.
  2. Only women already existing in the social margins became actresses.²⁶ For example, celebrated tragedienne Elizabeth Barry was an orphan, Nell Gwynn a barmaid raised in a brothel, Moll Davis the illegitimate daughter of a Colonel. Other actresses were the wives and daughters of male actors, as for example Mary Saunderson (Mrs Betterton) and (in a later per…

Etymology

Short for brothel-house (“house of prostitution”), from brothel (“a wretch; scoundrel; lecher; harlot; prostitute”) + house, influenced by bordel. For more on brothel (“a wretch”), see below.

Synonyms

academybawdy-housebordellocathousecribdisorderly househouse of accommodationhouse of ill famehouse of ill reputationhouse of ill reputeknocking shopleaping houselupanarmassage parlournunnerypushing schoolred housesaunasporting housevaulting schoolwhorehousebagniobawdy housebawdyhousebrothelbrothel housecat housecat-housecommon houseescort agencyfuckhousehookshopleaping-houseprostibuleriding academystewwapping kenwhore-house

This word in other languages

prostíbulo(Español)bordel(Français)Bordell(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbrothel
  • borthel
  • brohtel
  • brotehl
  • brothell
  • brothhel
  • brothle
  • brotthel
  • brrothel
  • brtohel
  • rbothel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbrothel1borthel2brohtel2brotehl2brothell1brothhel1brothle2brotthel1
Edit distance from "brothel"

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 "brothel"?
"brothel" is spelled B-R-O-T-H-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɔθəl/.
What does "brothel" mean?
As a noun, "brothel" means: A house of prostitution.
What words are commonly confused with "brothel"?
"brothel" is commonly confused with "brother", "brothers", "brotherly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brothel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brothel" is /ˈbɹɔθəl/. 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 "brothel"?
Short for brothel-house (“house of prostitution”), from brothel (“a wretch; scoundrel; lecher; harlot; prostitute”) + house, influenced by bordel. For more on brothel (“a wretch”), see below. 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 "brothel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

burrito#20,577blacked#20,571Charley#20,584clothed#20,589

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

billings11 variantsauditing11 variantsAlgerian11 variantstrident11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list