Which to use
“bade” and “bask” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,539
- “bade” frequency rank
- #31,452
- “bask” frequency rank
- 73991
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bade | bask |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past of bid | To bathe in warmth; to be exposed to pleasant heat. |
Where the eye mixes bade and bask
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses bade with bask
A purely visual mix-up. bade (/bæd/) and bask (/bɑːsk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73991, 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/. bask is at rank #31,452, tagged as averb, pronounced /bɑːsk/.
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 73991, this pair ranks #37,763 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bade vs bask
Shared letters: ab. Private to "bade": de. Private to "bask": ks.
"bade" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "bask" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bade" for "bask" ever safe?
Which is more common, "bade" or "bask"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "bade" and "bask" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "bade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bask" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #37,763 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bade" and "bask" 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 #37,763 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.