bad

/bæd/

//bæd// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"bad" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bad” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #270 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#270
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of low quality.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bad vs be
33% similar
bad vs by
33% similar
bad vs BC
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bad
PropertyValue
Headwordbad
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bæd/
Letters3
Frequency rank#270
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bad” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bad lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bad is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bæd/. Corpus data places it at rank #270 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for bad in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "be", "by", "BC", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old English wen… The correct English form is bad, spelled B-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of low quality.
  2. 2
    Inaccurate; incorrect
  3. 3
    Unfavorable; negative; not good.
  4. 4
    Not suitable or fitting.
  5. 5
    Not appropriate, of manners etc.
  6. 6
    Harmful, especially unhealthy; liable to cause health problems.
  7. 7
    Sickly, unhealthy, unwell.
  8. 8
    The injured or weak one of a pair of body parts, where the other one is healthy.
  9. 9
    Not behaving; behaving badly; misbehaving; mischievous or disobedient.
  10. 10
    Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
  11. 11
    Evil; wicked.
  12. 12
    Faulty; not functional.
  13. 13
    Spoiled, rotten, overripe.
  14. 14
    Malodorous; foul.
  15. 15
    False; counterfeit; illegitimate.
  16. 16
    Unskilled; of limited ability; not good.
  17. 17
    Of poor physical appearance.
  18. 18
    Severe, urgent.
  19. 19
    Regretful, guilty, or ashamed.
  20. 20
    Vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous.
  21. 21
    Not worth it.

Etymology

From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old English wenċel), or at least related to it and/or to bǣ̆dan (“to defile”), compare Old High German pad (“hermaphrodite”). Alternatively, perhaps a loan from Old Norse into Middle English, compare Norwegian bad (“effort, trouble, fear”, neuter noun), East Danish bad (“damage, destruction, fight”, neuter noun), from the Proto-Germanic noun *badą, whence also Proto-Germanic *badōną (“to frighten”), Old Saxon undarbadōn (“to frighten”), Norwegian Nynorsk bada (“to weigh down, press”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to bend, press, push, oppress”).

Synonyms

abandonedabominablebasecorruptdeficientdetestabledisgustinginferiorlousyoffpoorpunksubstandardunacceptableungodlyunsatisfactoryviciouswantingwretchedwrongabysmalatrociousawfulbadchroniccoarsecrapcrappycrummydeityforsakendiredisagreeabledismaldogshitdreadfulfoulgodawfulhellishhideoushopelesshorrendoushorridhorriblehorrificinadequateincompetentinelegantintolerablelacklusterloathsomemiserablenaffnegativeodiouspatheticpeakpiss-poorrottenrubbishshitawfulshittysloppysubparterribleunfavorable

Antonyms

adequateadvantageousbeneficialbenevolentchoicecompetentexcellentexceptionalfirst-classfirst-rategoodhonestjustpremiumprimeprofitablepropitiousreputablerightsinceresufficientsuperiortrueuprightvirtuousworthygreatpositive

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bad"?
"bad" is spelled B-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /bæd/.
What does "bad" mean?
As an adjective, "bad" means: Of low quality.
What words are commonly confused with "bad"?
"bad" is commonly confused with "be", "by", "BC". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bad"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bad" is /bæd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bad"?
From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old E... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “bad”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bæd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “be” - see the side-by-side comparison. bad vs be
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list