brêle

\bʁɛl\

/\bʁɛl\/ noun

The verdict

“brêle” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mulet.

Corpus desk

Index FR-brele · brêle · French

brêle · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for brêle
PropertyValue
Headwordbrêle
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bʁɛl\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « brêle » en français

brêlen'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

brêle is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \bʁɛl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for brêle, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is brêle, spelled B-R-Ê-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mulet.
  2. 2
    Âne, bon à rien, blaireau.
  3. 3
    Mobylette, véhicule à deux roues de moins de 50 cm³.
  4. 4
    Moto peu puissante.
  5. 5
    Carte sans valeur.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nous avons entendu dire que c'était « le brèle » qui avait gagné la guerre du Rif ou conquis le Maroc. En 1943-45 on avait surnommé plaisamment les compagnies dotées de mulets (les goums en particulier) la « Royal Brèle Force ». En 1956 on disait fréquemment qu'il ne fallait pas de tanks contre les fellagha mais des « brèles ».
  2. J’aurai préféré aller en prépa éco (pour les sciences sociales), mais comme j’étais une « brêle » en maths, je me suis résolue à aller en prépa littéraire (hypokhâgne – « khâgne » pour les intimes).

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

How do you spell "brêle"?
"brêle" is spelled B-R-Ê-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \bʁɛl\.
What does "brêle" mean?
As a noun, "brêle" means: Mulet.
How do you pronounce "brêle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brêle" is \bʁɛl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "brêle" come from?
"brêle" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list