Which to use
“baited” and “bite” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,814
- “baited” frequency rank
- #4,213
- “bite” frequency rank
- 42027
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | baited | bite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of bait | To cut into something by clamping the teeth. |
Where the eye mixes baited and bite
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between baited and bite
A purely visual mix-up. baited (/ˈbeɪtɪd/) and bite (/baɪt/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42027, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
baited is recorded at frequency rank #37,814, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈbeɪtɪd/. bite is at rank #4,213, tagged as averb, pronounced /baɪt/.
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 42027, this pair ranks #252,968 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of baited vs bite
Shared letters: beit. Private to "baited": ad. Private to "bite": -.
"baited" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "bite" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "baited" for "bite" ever safe?
Which is more common, "baited" or "bite"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "baited" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bite" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #252,968 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "baited" and "bite" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "baited vs butted". 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 #252,968 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.