ban

/ˈbæn/

//ˈbæn// verb

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

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

The verdict

“ban” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,715 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,715
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To prohibit; to interdict; to proscribe; to forbid or block from participation.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

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

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

Key facts for ban
PropertyValue
Headwordban
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbæn/
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,715
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ban” 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). ban 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 ban is 3 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbæn/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,715 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for ban in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "be", "by", "BC", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English bannen (“to summon; to banish; to curse”), partly from Old English bannan (“to summon, command, proclaim, call out”), from Proto-West Germanic *bannan; and partly from Old Norse banna (“to prohibit; to curse”), both from Proto-… The correct English form is ban, spelled B-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To prohibit; to interdict; to proscribe; to forbid or block from participation.
  2. 2
    To summon; to call out.
  3. 3
    To anathematize; to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon; to place under a ban.
  4. 4
    To curse; to execrate.
  5. 5
    To curse; to utter curses or maledictions.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English bannen (“to summon; to banish; to curse”), partly from Old English bannan (“to summon, command, proclaim, call out”), from Proto-West Germanic *bannan; and partly from Old Norse banna (“to prohibit; to curse”), both from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“to proclaim, to order; to summon; to ban; to curse, forbid”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂-new-ti ~ bʰh₂-n̥w-énti, innovative nasal-infixed zero-grade athematic present of *bʰeh₂- (“to say”). Cognate with Dutch bannen (“to ban, exile, discard”), German bannen (“to exile, to exorcise, captivate, excommunicate”), Swedish banna (“to ban, scold”), Vedic Sanskrit भनति (bhánati), Armenian բան (ban) and perhaps Albanian banoj (“to reside, dwell”). See also banal, abandon.

This word in other languages

vedar(Español)interdire(Français)verbieten(Deutsch)proibir(Português)

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 "ban"?
"ban" is spelled B-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæn/.
What does "ban" mean?
As a verb, "ban" means: To prohibit; to interdict; to proscribe; to forbid or block from participation.
What words are commonly confused with "ban"?
"ban" 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 "ban"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ban" is /ˈbæn/. 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 "ban"?
Inherited from Middle English bannen (“to summon; to banish; to curse”), partly from Old English bannan (“to summon, command, proclaim, call out”), from Proto-West Germanic *bannan; and partly from Old Norse banna (“to prohibit; to curse”), both f... 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 “ban”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbæn/ (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. ban 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