Which to use
“bade” and “ban” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,539
- “bade” frequency rank
- #2,715
- “ban” frequency rank
- 45254
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bade | ban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past of bid | To prohibit; to interdict; to proscribe; to forbid or block from participation. |
Where the eye mixes bade and ban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between bade and ban
A purely visual mix-up. bade (/bæd/) and ban (/ˈbæn/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45254, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bade is recorded at frequency rank #42,539, classified as averb, pronounced /bæd/. ban is at rank #2,715, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈbæn/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 45254, this pair ranks #222,943 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bade vs ban
Shared letters: ab. Private to "bade": de. Private to "ban": n.
"bade" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "ban" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- bade ← badde · bbade · bdae
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bade" and "ban" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "bade" or "ban" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #222,943 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bade" and "ban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bade vs bandy". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #222,943 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.