bailiff

/ˈbeɪlɪf/

//ˈbeɪlɪf// noun

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

"bailiff" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bailiff” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,829 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#28,829
frequency rank, English
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An officer of the court

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bailiff vs bailing
71% similar
bailiff vs bailiffs
88% similar

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

Key facts for bailiff
PropertyValue
Headwordbailiff
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbeɪlɪf/
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,829
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bailiff” 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). bailiff 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 bailiff is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbeɪlɪf/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,829 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 19 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for bailiff, with forms such as "abiliff", "baiilff", and "bailfif". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "bailing", "bailiffs", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English baillif, baylyf, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bailif (plural bailis), probably from Vulgar Latin *bāiulivus (“castellan”), from Latin bāiulus (“porter; steward”), whence also bail. As a translation of foreign titles, semantic loan fr… The correct English form is bailiff, spelled B-A-I-L-I-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    An officer of the court
  2. 2
    An officer of the court
  3. 3
    An officer of the court
  4. 4
    An officer of the court
  5. 5
    An officer of the court
  6. 6
    A public administrator
  7. 7
    A public administrator
  8. 8
    A public administrator
  9. 9
    A public administrator
  10. 10
    A public administrator
  11. 11
    A public administrator
  12. 12
    A public administrator
  13. 13
    A public administrator
  14. 14
    A public administrator
  15. 15
    A public administrator
  16. 16
    A private administrator, particularly
  17. 17
    A private administrator, particularly
  18. 18
    A private administrator, particularly
  19. 19
    Any debt collector, regardless of his or her official status.

Etymology

From Middle English baillif, baylyf, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bailif (plural bailis), probably from Vulgar Latin *bāiulivus (“castellan”), from Latin bāiulus (“porter; steward”), whence also bail. As a translation of foreign titles, semantic loan from French bailli, Scots bailie, Dutch baljuw, etc. Mostly replaced the role of native reeve. Doublet of bailo.

Synonyms

high bailiffhigh-bailiffwarrant officerbeadlecatchpollbumbailiffprocess serverHigh-bailiffHigh Bailiffmayorcastellanbaillybailieconsulcapitouljuratlandvogtstewardoverseer

This word in other languages

alguacil(Español)huissier(Français)Gerichtsvollzieher(Deutsch)oficial de justiça(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abiliff,baiilff,bailfif,bailif,bailliff,baliiff,bbailiff,bialiff

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bailiff - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

abiliff2baiilff2bailfif2bailif1bailliff1baliiff2bbailiff1bialiff2
Edit distance from "bailiff"

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 "bailiff"?
"bailiff" is spelled B-A-I-L-I-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbeɪlɪf/.
What does "bailiff" mean?
As a noun, "bailiff" means: An officer of the court
What words are commonly confused with "bailiff"?
"bailiff" is commonly confused with "bailing", "bailiffs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bailiff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bailiff" is /ˈbeɪlɪf/. 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 "bailiff"?
From Middle English baillif, baylyf, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bailif (plural bailis), probably from Vulgar Latin *bāiulivus (“castellan”), from Latin bāiulus (“porter; steward”), whence also bail. As a translation of foreign titles, semant... 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 “bailiff”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-I-L-I-F-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbeɪlɪf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bailing” - see the side-by-side comparison. bailiff vs bailing
  • 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