Which to use
“bends” and “binds” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,494
- “bends” frequency rank
- #17,551
- “binds” frequency rank
- 36045
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bends | binds |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of bend | plural of bind |
Where the eye mixes bends and binds
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: bends vs binds
A purely visual mix-up. bends (/bɛndz/) and binds (/baɪndz/) 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 a single letter - e in “bends” becomes i in “binds”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bends is recorded at frequency rank #18,494, classified as anoun, pronounced /bɛndz/. binds is at rank #17,551, tagged as anoun, pronounced /baɪndz/.
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 36045, this pair ranks #306,670 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bends vs binds
Shared letters: bdns. Private to "bends": e. Private to "binds": i.
"bends" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "binds" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bends" and "binds" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "bends" vs "binds" - which ranks higher?
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 "bends" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "binds" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,670 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bends" and "binds" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bends vs bendy". 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 #306,670 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.