brush

/bɹʌʃ/

//bɹʌʃ// noun

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

"brush" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“brush” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,828. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,828
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair.

Corpus desk

Index EN-brush · brush · English

brush · rank #4,828 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,828
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Brazilian

Nearest frequency peer: Brazilian (-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 “brush”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “brush” 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).

brush vs bus
60% similar
brush vs busy
60% similar
brush vs bush
80% similar

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

Key facts for brush
PropertyValue
Headwordbrush
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɹʌʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,828
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “brush”

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).brushlands 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 “Brazilian” (#4,827), “burden” (#4,829), “blessed” (#4,826). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “brush” is #4,828. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around brush (IPA /bɹʌʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,828 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for brush, with forms such as "bbrush", "brrush", and "brsuh". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bus", "busy", "bush", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, underbrush… The correct English form is brush, spelled B-R-U-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair.
  2. 2
    The act of brushing something.
  3. 3
    A piece of conductive material, usually carbon, serving to maintain electrical contact between the stationary and rotating parts of a machine.
  4. 4
    A brush-like electrical discharge of sparks.
  5. 5
    Wild vegetation, generally larger than grass but smaller than trees. See shrubland.
  6. 6
    A short, possibly recurrent encounter or experience.
  7. 7
    The furry tail of an animal, especially of a fox.
  8. 8
    A tuft of hair on the mandibles.
  9. 9
    A short contest, or trial, of speed.
  10. 10
    An instrument, resembling a brush, used to produce a soft sound from drums or cymbals.
  11. 11
    An on-screen tool for "painting" a particular colour or texture.
  12. 12
    A set of defined design and parameters that produce drawn strokes of a certain texture and quality.
  13. 13
    In 3D video games, a convex polyhedron, especially one that defines structure of the play area.
  14. 14
    The floorperson of a poker room, usually in a casino.
  15. 15
    Evergreen boughs, especially balsam, locally cut and baled for export, usually for use in making wreaths.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She gave her hair a quick brush.
  2. as leaves Do on the oak, have with one winter's brush Fell from their boughs

Etymology

From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, underbrush”), which could be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusgo-.

This word in other languages

pincel(Español)brosse(Français)Bürste(Deutsch)escova(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbrush
  • brrush
  • brsuh
  • bruhs
  • brushh
  • brussh
  • bursh
  • rbush

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbrush1brrush1brsuh2bruhs2brushh1brussh1bursh2rbush2
Edit distance from "brush"

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 "brush"?
"brush" is spelled B-R-U-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹʌʃ/.
What does "brush" mean?
As a noun, "brush" means: An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair.
What words are commonly confused with "brush"?
"brush" is commonly confused with "bus", "busy", "bush". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brush"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brush" is /bɹʌʃ/. 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 "brush"?
From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, ... 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 "brush", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

baker#4,824asset#4,821Aaron#4,815wound#4,814

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

carries8 variantssacred8 variantsrelate8 variantspicks8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list