bathe

/beɪð/

//beɪð// verb

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

"bathe" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bathe” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,729 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#21,729
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To clean oneself by immersion in water or using water; to take a bath, have a bath.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bathe vs both
60% similar
bathe vs bite
60% similar
bathe vs beth
60% similar

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

Key facts for bathe
PropertyValue
Headwordbathe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/beɪð/
Letters5
Frequency rank#21,729
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bathe” 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). bathe 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 bathe is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /beɪð/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,729 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for bathe, with forms such as "abthe", "bahte", and "bateh". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "both", "bite", "beth", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bathen, from Old English baþian (“to bathe, wash”), from Proto-West Germanic *baþōn, from Proto-Germanic *baþōną (“to bathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- (“to warm”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian boadje (“to bathe”), Dutch baden … The correct English form is bathe, spelled B-A-T-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To clean oneself by immersion in water or using water; to take a bath, have a bath.
  2. 2
    To immerse oneself, or part of the body, in water for pleasure or refreshment; to swim.
  3. 3
    To clean a person by immersion in water or using water; to give someone a bath.
  4. 4
    To apply water or other liquid to; to suffuse or cover with liquid.
  5. 5
    To cover or surround.
  6. 6
    To sunbathe.

Etymology

From Middle English bathen, from Old English baþian (“to bathe, wash”), from Proto-West Germanic *baþōn, from Proto-Germanic *baþōną (“to bathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- (“to warm”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian boadje (“to bathe”), Dutch baden (“to bathe”), German Low German baden (“to bathe”), German baden (“to bathe”), Danish bade (“to bathe”), Swedish bada (“to bathe”), Icelandic baða (“to bathe”). More at bath. Compare also bask.

This word in other languages

bañarse(Español)se baigner(Français)baden(Deutsch)banhar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abthe,bahte,bateh,bathhe,batthe,bbathe,btahe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abthe2bahte2bateh2bathhe1batthe1bbathe1btahe2
Edit distance from "bathe"

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 "bathe"?
"bathe" is spelled B-A-T-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is /beɪð/.
What does "bathe" mean?
As a verb, "bathe" means: To clean oneself by immersion in water or using water; to take a bath, have a bath.
What words are commonly confused with "bathe"?
"bathe" is commonly confused with "both", "bite", "beth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bathe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bathe" is /beɪð/. 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 "bathe"?
From Middle English bathen, from Old English baþian (“to bathe, wash”), from Proto-West Germanic *baþōn, from Proto-Germanic *baþōną (“to bathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- (“to warm”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian boadje (“to bathe”), Du... 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 “bathe”

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

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