bewed

/biˈwɛd/

//biˈwɛd// verb

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

The verdict

“bewed” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To pledge oneself to; betroth; wed; marry.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bewed · bewed · English

bewed · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • 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.

Key facts for bewed
PropertyValue
Headwordbewed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/biˈwɛd/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bewed” in English

bewedfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bewed is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /biˈwɛd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for bewed in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English biwedden, from Old English beweddian (“to betroth, marry, give security”), from Proto-West Germanic *biwaddjōn, equivalent to be- + wed. Cognate with Old Frisian biweddia. The correct English form is bewed, spelled B-E-W-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To pledge oneself to; betroth; wed; marry.
  2. 2
    To unite closely and intimately; join.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Þæt wolde ðyncan wundorlic ælcum men þe on Englalande wæs, gif ænig man ær þam sæde þæt hit swa gewurþan sceolde, for ðam þe he wæs ær to þam swyðe up ahafen swylce he weolde þæs cynges ⁊ ealles Englalandes, ⁊ his sunan wæron eorlas, ⁊ þæs cynges dyrlingas, ⁊ his dohtor þæm cynge beweddod ⁊ beæwnod.
  2. […] You venerable Fates, a vision to see: Approaching the bride-room of Zeus, Or ever bewedded to bridegroom from heaven.

Etymology

From Middle English biwedden, from Old English beweddian (“to betroth, marry, give security”), from Proto-West Germanic *biwaddjōn, equivalent to be- + wed. Cognate with Old Frisian biweddia.

Synonyms

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

How do you spell "bewed"?
"bewed" is spelled B-E-W-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /biˈwɛd/.
What does "bewed" mean?
As a verb, "bewed" means: To pledge oneself to; betroth; wed; marry.
How do you pronounce "bewed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bewed" is /biˈwɛd/. 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 "bewed"?
From Middle English biwedden, from Old English beweddian (“to betroth, marry, give security”), from Proto-West Germanic *biwaddjōn, equivalent to be- + wed. Cognate with Old Frisian biweddia. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list