bind

/baɪnd/

//baɪnd// verb

"bind" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bind” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,331. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,331
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To tie; to confine by any ligature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bind · bind · English

bind · rank #10,331 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,331
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bayern

Nearest frequency peer: Bayern (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “bind”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “bind” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

bind vs bn
50% similar
bind vs bit
50% similar
bind vs bud
50% similar

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

Key facts for bind
PropertyValue
Headwordbind
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/baɪnd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,331
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bind” 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).bindlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Bayern” (#10,330), “blessings” (#10,332), “awaiting” (#10,329). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around bind (IPA /baɪnd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #10,331 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 20 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for bind, with forms such as "bbind", "bidn", and "bindd". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bn", "bit", "bud", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *bindaną Proto-West Germanic *bindan Old English bindan Middle English binden English bind From Middle English binden, from Old English bindan, from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from Proto-Germa… The correct English form is bind, spelled B-I-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To tie; to confine by any ligature.
  2. 2
    To cohere or stick together in a mass.
  3. 3
    To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction.
  4. 4
    To exert a binding or restraining influence.
  5. 5
    To tie or fasten tightly together, with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.
  6. 6
    To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind.
  7. 7
    To couple.
  8. 8
    To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other social tie.
  9. 9
    To put (a person) under definite legal obligations, especially, under the obligation of a bond or covenant.
  10. 10
    To place under legal obligation to serve.
  11. 11
    To protect or strengthen by applying a band or binding, as the edge of a carpet or garment.
  12. 12
    To make fast (a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to encircle with something.
  13. 13
    To cover, as with a bandage.
  14. 14
    To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action, as by producing constipation.
  15. 15
    To put together in a cover, as of books.
  16. 16
    To make two or more elements stick together.
  17. 17
    To associate an identifier with a value; to associate a variable name, method name, etc. with the content of a storage location.
  18. 18
    To process one or more object modules into an executable program.
  19. 19
    To complain; to whine about something.
  20. 20
    To wear a binder so as to flatten one's chest to give the appearance of a flat chest, usually done by trans men.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They that reap must sheaf and bind.
  2. We’ll throw it in just to make the cheese more binding.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *bindaną Proto-West Germanic *bindan Old English bindan Middle English binden English bind 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 binde; also Welsh ben (“cart”), Latin offendīx (“knot, band”), Lithuanian beñdras (“partner”), Albanian bind (“to convince, to awe, to spell”), Ancient Greek πεῖσμα (peîsma, “cable, rope”), Persian بستن (bastan, “to bind”), Sanskrit बन्धति (bándhati). Doublet of bandana.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbind
  • bidn
  • bindd
  • binnd
  • bnid
  • ibnd

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bind - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbind1bidn2bindd1binnd1bnid2ibnd2
Edit distance from "bind"

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 "bind"?
"bind" is spelled B-I-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /baɪnd/.
What does "bind" mean?
As a verb, "bind" means: To tie; to confine by any ligature.
What words are commonly confused with "bind"?
"bind" is commonly confused with "bn", "bit", "bud". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bind"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bind" is /baɪnd/. 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 "bind"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *bindaną Proto-West Germanic *bindan Old English bindan Middle English binden English bind From Middle English binden, from Old English bindan, from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from P... 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 "bind", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "bind". Here's where to go from here.

  • "bind" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "bn". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #10,331 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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