# bail vs balk

> 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.

### balk
*noun · IPA /bɔːk/ · frequency rank #40,576*
An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.

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