bedtime

/ˈbɛdtaɪm/

//ˈbɛdtaɪm// noun

"bedtime" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bedtime” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,668. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,668
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bedtime · bedtime · English

bedtime · rank #13,668 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,668
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Baxter

Nearest frequency peer: Baxter (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bedtime”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bedtime” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bedtime vs Bertie
57% similar
bedtime vs bestie
71% similar
bedtime vs bedside
71% similar

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

Key facts for bedtime
PropertyValue
Headwordbedtime
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɛdtaɪm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,668
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bedtime”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bedtimelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Baxter” (#13,667), “belongings” (#13,669), “batter” (#13,666). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bedtime” is #13,668. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around bedtime (IPA /ˈbɛdtaɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,668 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for bedtime, with forms such as "bbedtime", "bdetime", and "beddtime". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Bertie", "bestie", "bedside", 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 bedtyme, bed-tyme, bedetyme, bedde tyme, equivalent to bed + time. Compare earlier Old English bedtīd (“bedtime”). Compare also West Frisian bêdtiid (“bedtime”), Dutch bedtijd (“bedtime”), Saterland Frisian Bädegungenstied (“bedtime”, li… The correct English form is bedtime, spelled B-E-D-T-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bedtime appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I read every evening, sometimes late into the night, with the help of kerosene lamps, often secretly, past my bedtime.
  2. Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.

Etymology

From Middle English bedtyme, bed-tyme, bedetyme, bedde tyme, equivalent to bed + time. Compare earlier Old English bedtīd (“bedtime”). Compare also West Frisian bêdtiid (“bedtime”), Dutch bedtijd (“bedtime”), Saterland Frisian Bädegungenstied (“bedtime”, literally “bed-goings-time”), German Low German Beddgahnstied, Bettgahnstiet (“bedtime”, literally “bed-goings-time”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbedtime
  • bdetime
  • beddtime
  • beditme
  • bedtiem
  • bedtimme
  • bedtmie
  • bedttime
  • betdime
  • ebdtime

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bedtime - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbedtime1bdetime2beddtime1beditme2bedtiem2bedtimme1bedtmie2bedttime1
Edit distance from "bedtime"

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 "bedtime"?
"bedtime" is spelled B-E-D-T-I-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛdtaɪm/.
What does "bedtime" mean?
As a noun, "bedtime" means: The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.
What words are commonly confused with "bedtime"?
"bedtime" is commonly confused with "Bertie", "bestie", "bedside". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bedtime"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bedtime" is /ˈbɛdtaɪm/. 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 "bedtime"?
From Middle English bedtyme, bed-tyme, bedetyme, bedde tyme, equivalent to bed + time. Compare earlier Old English bedtīd (“bedtime”). Compare also West Frisian bêdtiid (“bedtime”), Dutch bedtijd (“bedtime”), Saterland Frisian Bädegungenstied (“be... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bedtime", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list