# bail vs bait

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### bail
*noun · IPA /beɪl/ · frequency rank #6,988*
Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.

### bait
*noun · IPA /beɪt/ · frequency rank #8,894*
Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bail-vs-bait