bawd
/bɔːd/
"bawd" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bawd” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who keeps a brothel, or procures women for prostitution; a procurer or madam.
Corpus desk
Index EN-bawd · bawd · English
bawd · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bawd |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /bɔːd/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “bawd” in English
Rare enough to double-check
bawd is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /bɔːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for bawd, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bawde, baude, from Old French baud (“bold, lively, jolly, gay”). Doublet of bold. An association with Welsh bawddyn (“dirty fellow, scoundrel”), from baw (“dirt”), was suggested by the Rev. Henry Todd. The correct English form is bawd, spelled B-A-W-D.
Definition
- 1One who keeps a brothel, or procures women for prostitution; a procurer or madam.
- 2A person who facilitates an immoral act, especially one of a sexual nature.
- 3A lewd person.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how bawd appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Of late in the Park, a fair fancy was seen / Betwixt an old Baud and a lusty young Quean, / Their parting of Money began the uproar, / I'll have half says the Baud, but you shan't says the Whore
As Whores decay'd and past their Labours, / Turn Bawds, and so assist their Neighbours.
Etymology
From Middle English bawde, baude, from Old French baud (“bold, lively, jolly, gay”). Doublet of bold. An association with Welsh bawddyn (“dirty fellow, scoundrel”), from baw (“dirt”), was suggested by the Rev. Henry Todd.
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.