bade

/bæd/

//bæd// verb

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

"bade" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bade” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #42,539) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#42,539
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of bid

Corpus desk

Index EN-bade · bade · English

bade · rank #42,539 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,539
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH backflip

Nearest frequency peer: backflip (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “bade”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “bade” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bade vs be
50% similar
bade vs bd
50% similar
bade vs bed
50% similar

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

Key facts for bade
PropertyValue
Headwordbade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bæd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#42,539
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “bade”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).badelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “backflip” (#42,538), “baptize” (#42,541), “batgirl” (#42,542). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bade” is #42,539. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for bade is neighbouring look-alikes ("be", "bd", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /bæd/. Frequency #42,539 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Gloss: "simple past of bid".

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for bade, with forms such as "badde", "bbade", and "bdae". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "be", "bd", "bed", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is bade, spelled B-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of bid

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how bade appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Pancho, the major-domo, came up to say that Colonel Morales was waiting below. Appleby bade him bring out cigars and wine, and rose from his seat when Morales came in.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • badde
  • bbade
  • bdae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bade - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

badde1bbade1bdae2
Edit distance from "bade"

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 "bade"?
"bade" is spelled B-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bæd/.
What does "bade" mean?
As a verb, "bade" means: simple past of bid
What words are commonly confused with "bade"?
"bade" is commonly confused with "be", "bd", "bed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bade" is /bæd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bade" come from?
"bade" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Arlo#42,526bolo#42,552APEC#42,524bowe#42,557

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list