Which to use
“bes” is a verb and “bodes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,697
- “bes” frequency rank
- #48,094
- “bodes” frequency rank
- 80791
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bes | bodes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of be | plural of bode |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bes and bodes apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bes is /biːz/ while bodes is /bəʊdz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80791, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bes is recorded at frequency rank #32,697, classified as averb, pronounced /biːz/. bodes is at rank #48,094, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bəʊdz/.
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 80791, this pair ranks #19,060 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bes vs bodes
Shared letters: bes. Private to "bes": -. Private to "bodes": do.
"bes" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "bodes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- bodes ← bbodes · bdoes · boddes · bodess · bodse · boeds · obdes
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bes" and "bodes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bes" or "bodes"?
Remembering bes vs bodes
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “bes”; for a noun, it's “bodes”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bes” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable