# baa

> English word · Noun · IPA [bɑː] · frequency rank #31,869

## Definitions
1. The characteristic cry or bleating of a sheep.

## Etymology
Compare German bäh, mäh; an imitative word.
Notes on phonological development
The pronunciation /bɑː/ is perhaps a development from earlier /bæː/ reflecting the shift of /æː/ to /ɑː/ during the 18th and 19th centuries. Compare Early Modern English bae, bea, both "to baa", respectively displaying the then current pronunciation of Middle English /aː/ as /æː/ and the failure of Middle English /ɛː/ to raise, and the replacement of mew with meow for another instance where recent sound change has made onomatopoeia opaque.

## Easily confused with
- **be** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-be)
- **by** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-by)
- **BC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bc)
- **bi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bi)
- **BS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bs)
- **bo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bo)
- **br** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-br)
- **Bt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bt)
- **BB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bb)
- **BP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bp)
- **bf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bf)
- **bd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bd)
- **BL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bl)
- **BM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bm)
- **bn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bn)
- **BG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bg)
- **BJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bj)
- **BW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bw)
- **BH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bh)
- **BX** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baa-vs-bx)

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