Brooch Rhymes With Coach, Not Pooch
A brooch is a decorative pin. Its spelling suggests one pronunciation and English insists on another.
A brooch is an ornament fastened to clothing with a pin. The spelling is a trap: it is pronounced BROHCH, rhyming with coach, not BROOCH rhyming with pooch. The word is the same as *broach*, a spike, and the two spellings separated only in the eighteenth century, with the *oo* going to the jewellery.
- A decorative pin. *A silver brooch.*
- Broach — to raise a subject, or pierce a cask. *Broach the topic.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | brooch | An antique brooch. |
| Plural | brooches | Enamel brooches. |
| Related | broach | Broach the subject. |
| Related | pin | A lapel pin. |
| Related | fibula | A Roman fibula. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She pinned the brooch to her coat.Jewellery.
- He broached the subject carefully.Different spelling, same origin.
- A fibula is the ancient equivalent.Archaeology.
Spelling traps like this
- brooch — rhymes with coach
- colonel — pronounced kernel
- yacht — pronounced yot
- quay — pronounced key
- choir — pronounced quire
From Old French *broche*, a spit or spike, from Latin *broccus*, projecting. The English spellings *broach* and *brooch* split by function.
How is brooch pronounced?
BROHCH, rhyming with coach. The double O does not indicate the vowel here.
Brooch or broach?
Brooch is the ornament, broach the verb meaning to open or raise. Both come from the same word for a spike.