brûler

\bʁy.le\

/\bʁy.le\/ verb

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

The verdict

“brûler” has 10 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #5,635. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,635
frequency rank, French
227,490
“B” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Consumer, corroder ou endommager par le feu, ou par produits chimiques.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

brûler vs brune
50% similar
brûler vs brute
50% similar
brûler vs brume
50% similar

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

Key facts for brûler
PropertyValue
Headwordbrûler
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\bʁy.le\
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,635
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “brûler” 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). brûler lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around brûler (IPA \bʁy.le\), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,635 among 227,490 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for brûler, with forms such as "bbrûler", "brlûer", and "brrûler". 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, "brune", "brute", "brume", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is brûler, spelled B-R-Û-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Consumer, corroder ou endommager par le feu, ou par produits chimiques.
  2. 2
    Faire du feu de quelque matière.
  3. 3
    Subir l’action trop vive ou trop prolongée du feu qui donne une couleur rousse ou noire et un goût désagréable aux mets.
  4. 4
    Échauffer excessivement, causer une violente chaleur, dessécher par une chaleur excessive.
  5. 5
    Échauffer excessivement, causer une violente chaleur, dessécher par une chaleur excessive.
  6. 6
    Être dévoré d’une passion pressante.
  7. 7
    Ignorer un obstacle ou une étape pour atteindre un objectif.
  8. 8
    Être consumé par le feu.
  9. 9
    Être fort chaud.
  10. 10
    Briller, luire.
  11. 11
    Être près d’un objectif, toucher au but.
  12. 12
    Subir le feu.
  13. 13
    Traverser une frontière illégalement au risque de mourir.
  14. 14
    Rendre insupportable le contact avec quelque chose ou le séjour dans un certain endroit.
  15. 15
    Utiliser un transport sans avoir de billet, sans payer. On retrouve cette acception dans des expressions comme brûler le dur (prendre le train ou le métro sans payer), brûler le bateau (naviguer clandestinement).
  16. 16
    Tuer d'un coup de feu.

Synonyms

calcinercarbonisercramerflambergrillerincendierincinérerrôtirtoucher au but

This word in other languages

burn(English)quemar(Español)brennen(Deutsch)queimar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbrûler
  • brlûer
  • brrûler
  • bruler
  • brûelr
  • brûlerr
  • brûller
  • brûlre
  • bûrler
  • rbûler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbrûler1brlûer2brrûler1bruler1brûelr2brûlerr1brûller1brûlre2
Edit distance from "brûler"

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 "brûler"?
"brûler" is spelled B-R-Û-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \bʁy.le\.
What does "brûler" mean?
As a verb, "brûler" means: Consumer, corroder ou endommager par le feu, ou par produits chimiques.
What words are commonly confused with "brûler"?
"brûler" is commonly confused with "brune", "brute", "brume". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "brûler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "brûler" is \bʁy.le\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "brûler" come from?
"brûler" 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.

Using “brûler”

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

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

Same frequency band

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