burgrave
/ˈbɜːɡɹeɪv/
"burgrave" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“burgrave” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The military governor of a town or castle in the Middle Ages, especially in German-speaking Europe; a nobleman of the same status.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | burgrave |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɜːɡɹeɪv/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “burgrave” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
burgrave is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɜːɡɹeɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
burgrave doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From German Burggraf, from Burg (“castle”) + Graf (“count”). Compare Dutch burggraaf, French burgrave. See margrave. The correct English form is burgrave, spelled B-U-R-G-R-A-V-E.
Definition
- 1The military governor of a town or castle in the Middle Ages, especially in German-speaking Europe; a nobleman of the same status.
- 2One who holds a hereditary title, with an associated domain, descended from an ancestor who commanded a burg, especially in German-speaking Europe.
Etymology
From German Burggraf, from Burg (“castle”) + Graf (“count”). Compare Dutch burggraaf, French burgrave. See margrave.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “burgrave”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-U-R-G-R-A-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɜːɡɹeɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.