bath

Name: bath, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/bɑːθ/

//bɑːθ// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“bath” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,352 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,352
frequency rank, English: 4
letters: 5
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bath vs Bt

25% similar

bath vs BH

0% similar

bath vs but

50% similar

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

Key facts for bath
Property	Value
Headword	bath
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/bɑːθ/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#3,352
Misspellings tracked	5
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bath” 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). bath lands here:

#3,352

#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 bath is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɑːθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,352 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for bath, with forms such as "abth", "bathh", and "batth". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Bt", "BH", "but", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- Proto-Germanic *baþą Proto-West Germanic *baþ Old English bæþ Middle English bath English bath From Middle English bath, baþ, from Old English bæþ (“bath”), from Proto-West Germanic *baþ, from Proto-Germanic *baþą … The correct English form is bath, spelled B-A-T-H.

Definition

1
A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.
2
A building or area where bathing occurs.
3
Clipping of bathroom.
4
The act of bathing; an instance of this; the taking of a bath.
5
Specifically, bathing by immersing the body in water, rather than through other means, or an instance of this.
6
An act of immersing the body in a specified substance, especially for hygiene, pleasure, or wellness, or a facility for this: e.g. mud bath, steam bath.
7
The body of liquid one bathes in.
8
A substance or preparation in which something is immersed.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- Proto-Germanic *baþą Proto-West Germanic *baþ Old English bæþ Middle English bath English bath From Middle English bath, baþ, from Old English bæþ (“bath”), from Proto-West Germanic *baþ, from Proto-Germanic *baþą (“bath”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- (“to warm”). Corresponding inherited verbs are beath and bathe. Cognate with Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, and Swedish bad (“bath”), Faroese and Icelandic bað (“bath”), German Bad (“bath”).

Synonyms

bain

This word in other languages

bañera(Español)bain(Français)Badewanne(Deutsch)banheira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abth,bathh,batth,bbath,btah

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "bath"

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 "bath"?

"bath" is spelled B-A-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bɑːθ/.

What does "bath" mean?

As a noun, "bath" means: A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.

What words are commonly confused with "bath"?

"bath" is commonly confused with "Bt", "BH", "but". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "bath"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bath" is /bɑːθ/. 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 "bath"?

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 “bath”

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

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