To broach is to raise a subject, or to pierce a container to draw liquid. A brooch is a decorative pin. They are pronounced identically — brooch rhymes with "coach", not "smooch" — which is why the spellings get swapped.
The core difference
A verb about raising subjects and a noun naming jewellery.
- broach — raise a topic; pierce a cask: broach the subject, broach a barrel.
- brooch — a pinned ornament: a diamond brooch.
The shared origin
Both come from Old French broche, a spit or pointed tool. A brooch is a pin; broaching a cask meant piercing it with a spike. The subject-raising sense is figurative from that — opening something up.
The pronunciation trap
Brooch is said "broach", not "brooch" as the double O suggests. It is one of the small set of English words whose spelling actively misleads on pronunciation.
Frequently asked questions
How is brooch pronounced?
Like "broach", rhyming with coach — despite the double O.
Which spelling means to raise a topic?
Broach — as in broach the subject.
Are the words related?
Yes, both from Old French broche, a spit or pointed tool. A brooch is a pin; broaching a cask meant piercing it.