brutal
/ˈbɹu.təl/adjective
brutal is spelled B-R-U-T-A-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 6,047th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, brutal means “Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel, often in an unintelligent manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in brutal?
| Letters | 6: B-R-U-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 6,047th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is brutal?
Brutal appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 6,047th 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 brutal?
- UK /ˈbɹuːtəl/
- British /ˈbɹʉwtəl/
- US /ˈbɹu.təl/
Brutal has 2 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-brutal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of brutal
- more brutal comparative
- most brutal superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does brutal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel, often in an unintelligent manner.
The game was brutal, but after a bloodbath he finally won.
- 2
Crude or unfeeling in manner or speech.
- 3
Harsh; unrelenting.
- 4
Disagreeably precise or penetrating.
- 5
In extreme metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs.
- 6
Direct and without attempt to disguise unpleasantness.
brutal honesty
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Brutal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense savagely violent:
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 brutal come from?
From Medieval Latin brutalis (“savage, stupid”), from Latin brūtus (“dull, stupid”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).