band-aid
/ˈbændeɪd/
"band-aid" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“band-aid” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An adhesive bandage, a small piece of fabric or plastic that may be stuck to the skin in order to temporarily cover a small wound.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | band-aid |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbændeɪd/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “band-aid” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for band-aid is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbændeɪd/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for band-aid, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Genericized trademark from Band-Aid, registered and coined by Johnson & Johnson in 1924 as band(age) + aid. The correct English form is band-aid, spelled B-A-N-D---A-I-D.
Definition
- 1An adhesive bandage, a small piece of fabric or plastic that may be stuck to the skin in order to temporarily cover a small wound.
- 2A temporary or makeshift solution to a problem, created ad hoc and often with a lack of foresight.
Etymology
Genericized trademark from Band-Aid, registered and coined by Johnson & Johnson in 1924 as band(age) + aid.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “band-aid”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-A-N-D---A-I-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbændeɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.