# bout vs bows

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### bout
*noun · IPA /ˈbaʊt/ · frequency rank #6,547*
A period of something, especially one painful or unpleasant, like an illness.

### bows
*noun · IPA /baʊz/ · frequency rank #14,902*
plural of bow

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