bailey

/ˈbeɪli/

//ˈbeɪli// noun

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

"bailey" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bailey” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,439. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,439
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The outer wall of a feudal castle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bailey · bailey · English

bailey · rank #6,439 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,439
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH assure

Nearest frequency peer: assure (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bailey”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bailey” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

bailey vs bale
67% similar
bailey vs bile
67% similar
bailey vs billy
67% similar

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

Key facts for bailey
PropertyValue
Headwordbailey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbeɪli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,439
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bailey”

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).baileylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “assure” (#6,438), “ballot” (#6,440), “ashamed” (#6,437). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bailey” is #6,439. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around bailey (IPA /ˈbeɪli/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,439 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for bailey, with forms such as "abiley", "baiely", and "baileyy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bale", "bile", "billy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French baile (“palisade, enclosure”), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum (“stick, rod”). The correct English form is bailey, spelled B-A-I-L-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The outer wall of a feudal castle.
  2. 2
    The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress.
  3. 3
    A prison or court of justice.
  4. 4
    An argument which is controversial and more difficult to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester
  2. "Birds are dinosaurs" is the bailey; "birds are more similar to dinosaurs than anything else" is the motte.

Etymology

From Old French baile (“palisade, enclosure”), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum (“stick, rod”).

This word in other languages

Burgmauer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abiley
  • baiely
  • baileyy
  • bailley
  • bailye
  • baliey
  • bbailey
  • bialey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abiley2baiely2baileyy1bailley1bailye2baliey2bbailey1bialey2
Edit distance from "bailey"

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 "bailey"?
"bailey" is spelled B-A-I-L-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbeɪli/.
What does "bailey" mean?
As a noun, "bailey" means: The outer wall of a feudal castle.
What words are commonly confused with "bailey"?
"bailey" is commonly confused with "bale", "bile", "billy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bailey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bailey" is /ˈbeɪli/. 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 "bailey"?
From Old French baile (“palisade, enclosure”), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum (“stick, rod”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

assure#6,438ballot#6,440wounds#6,428valued#6,427

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

happier8 variantsports8 variantsninth8 variantskicks8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list