brotherly
/ˈbɹʌð.ɚ.li/adjective, adverb
brotherly is spelled B-R-O-T-H-E-R-L-Y: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, brotherly means “Of or characteristic of brothers” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in brotherly?
| Letters | 9: B-R-O-T-H-E-R-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is brotherly?
Brotherly appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce brotherly?
- UK /ˈbɹʌð.ə.li/
- US /ˈbɹʌð.ɚ.li/
Brotherly has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-brotherly.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with brotherly?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as brotherly from its last stressed vowel (/ʌðəɹli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of brotherly
- more brotherly comparative
- brotherlier comparative
- most brotherly superlative
- brotherliest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does brotherly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or characteristic of brothers.
brotherly love
adverb
- 1
In the manner of a brother, as a brother, as brothers.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Brotherly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or characteristic of brothers:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fraternel |
| German | brüderlich, geschwisterlich |
| Portuguese | fraterno, fraternal |
| Spanish | fraternal, fraterno |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does brotherly come from?
From Middle English brotherly, from Old English brōþorlīċ, from Proto-West Germanic *brōþerlīk, from Proto-Germanic *brōþērlīkaz, equivalent to brother + -ly (adjectival suffix). Cognate with Dutch broederlijk (“brotherly”), German brüderlich (“brotherly”), Swedish broderlig (“brotherly”). Piecewise doublet of friarly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).