bind
/ˈbaɪ̯nd/verb, noun
bind is spelled B-I-N-D: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, bind means “To tie; to confine by any ligature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bind?
| Letters | 4: B-I-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 5.6 times per million words; the 10,358th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bind?
Bind appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bind?
- /ˈbaɪ̯nd/
- /ˈbaɪ̯n/
Bind has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-bind.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bind
- binds present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- binding participle, present
- bound past, participle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bind mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To tie; to confine by any ligature.
- 2
To cohere or stick together in a mass.
We’ll throw it in just to make the cheese more binding.
- 3
To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction.
I wish I knew why the sewing machine binds up after I use it for a while.
- 4
To exert a binding or restraining influence.
These are the ties that bind.
- 5
To tie or fasten tightly together, with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.
To bind grain in bundles.
- 6
To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind.
Gravity binds the planets to the sun.
- 7
To couple.
- 8
To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other social tie.
to bind the conscience.
noun
- 1
That which binds or ties.
- 2
A troublesome situation; a problem; a predicament or quandary.
- 3
Any twining or climbing plant or stem, especially a hop vine; a bine.
- 4
A ligature or tie for grouping notes.
- 5
A strong grip or stranglehold on a position, which is difficult for the opponent to break.
the Maróczy Bind
- 6
The indurated clay of coal mines, or other overlying substances such as sandstone or shale.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bind in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lier, attacher, nouer , connecter , coupler |
| German | binden, fesseln , verbinden, konnektieren , (z.B. ein Buch) binden , Fessel |
| Portuguese | amarrar , conectar, juntar, copular, ligar , acoplar |
| Spanish | atar, ceñir , empastar, liar, vincular |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bind come from?
From Middle English binden, from Old English bindan, from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from Proto-Germanic *bindaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéndʰ-e-ti, from *bʰendʰ- (“to tie”). See also West Frisian bine, Dutch binden, Low German binnen, binden, German binden, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk binde, Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish binda; also Welsh ben (“cart”), Latin offendīx (“knot, band”), Lithuanian beñdras (“partner”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).