brosser

\bʁɔ.se\

/\bʁɔ.se\/ verb

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

The verdict

“brosser” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #20,068 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#20,068
frequency rank, French
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Frotter, nettoyer avec une brosse.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

brosser vs broyer
71% similar
brosser vs brousse
71% similar
brosser vs brother
71% similar

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

Key facts for brosser
PropertyValue
Headwordbrosser
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\bʁɔ.se\
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,068
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “brosser” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). brosser lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for brosser is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \bʁɔ.se\. Corpus data places it at rank #20,068 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for brosser, with forms such as "bbrosser", "borsser", and "broser". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "broyer", "brousse", "brother", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is brosser, spelled B-R-O-S-S-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Frotter, nettoyer avec une brosse.
  2. 2
    Frotter avec une brosse l’habit, le vêtement que quelqu’un a sur lui.
  3. 3
    Donner des coups, infliger à quelqu’un une défaite.
  4. 4
    Peindre à la brosse, il se dit surtout d’une exécution rapide et peu soignée.
  5. 5
    Décrire ; présenter une description.
  6. 6
    Ne pas assister aux cours, ne pas aller à l’école.
  7. 7
    Courir au travers des bois les plus épais.
  8. 8
    S'enivrer, en parlant de l'alcool, cuiter.
  9. 9
    Frotter avec une brosse.
  10. 10
    Se passer de quelque chose.

This word in other languages

brush(English)cepillar(Español)bürsten(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbrosser,borsser,broser,brosesr,brosserr,brossre,brrosser,brsoser,rbosser

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of brosser - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbrosser1borsser2broser1brosesr2brosserr1brossre2brrosser1brsoser2
Edit distance from "brosser"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "brosser"?
"brosser" is spelled B-R-O-S-S-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \bʁɔ.se\.
What does "brosser" mean?
As a verb, "brosser" means: Frotter, nettoyer avec une brosse.
What words are commonly confused with "brosser"?
"brosser" is commonly confused with "broyer", "brousse", "brother". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brosser"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brosser" is \bʁɔ.se\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "brosser" come from?
"brosser" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “brosser”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is B-R-O-S-S-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bʁɔ.se\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “broyer” - see the side-by-side comparison. brosser vs broyer
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list