bite

/baɪt/

//baɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“bite” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,213 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,213
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cut into something by clamping the teeth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bite vs Bt
25% similar
bite vs but
50% similar
bite vs bye
50% similar

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

Key facts for bite
PropertyValue
Headwordbite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/baɪt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,213
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bite” 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). bite lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bite is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /baɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,213 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for bite, with forms such as "bbite", "biet", and "bitte". 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, "Bt", "but", "bye", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English biten, from Old English bītan (“bite”), from Proto-West Germanic *bītan, from Proto-Germanic *bītaną (“bite”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“split”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian biete (“bite”), West Frisian bite (“bite”), Dut… The correct English form is bite, spelled B-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
  2. 2
    To hold something by clamping one's teeth.
  3. 3
    To attack with the teeth.
  4. 4
    To behave aggressively; to reject advances.
  5. 5
    To take hold; to establish firm contact with.
  6. 6
    To have significant effect, often negative.
  7. 7
    To bite a baited hook or other lure and thus be caught.
  8. 8
    To accept something offered, often secretly or deceptively, to cause some action by the acceptor.
  9. 9
    To sting.
  10. 10
    To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent.
  11. 11
    To cause sharp pain or damage to; to hurt or injure.
  12. 12
    To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing.
  13. 13
    To take or keep a firm hold.
  14. 14
    To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to.
  15. 15
    To lack quality; to be worthy of derision; to suck.
  16. 16
    To perform oral sex on. Used in invective.
  17. 17
    To plagiarize, to imitate.
  18. 18
    To deceive or defraud; to take in.

Etymology

From Middle English biten, from Old English bītan (“bite”), from Proto-West Germanic *bītan, from Proto-Germanic *bītaną (“bite”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“split”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian biete (“bite”), West Frisian bite (“bite”), Dutch bijten (“bite”), German Low German bieten (“bite”), German beißen, beissen (“bite”), Danish bide (“bite”), Swedish bita (“bite”), Norwegian Bokmål bite (“bite”), Norwegian Nynorsk bita (“bite”), Icelandic bíta (“bite”), Gothic 𐌱𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (beitan, “bite”), Latin findō (“split”), Ancient Greek φείδομαι (pheídomai), Sanskrit भिद् (bhid, “break”).

This word in other languages

morder(Español)mordre(Français)beißen(Deutsch)morder(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbite,biet,bitte,btie,ibte

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bite - 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.

bbite1biet2bitte1btie2ibte2
Edit distance from "bite"

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 "bite"?
"bite" is spelled B-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /baɪt/.
What does "bite" mean?
As a verb, "bite" means: To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
What words are commonly confused with "bite"?
"bite" is commonly confused with "Bt", "but", "bye". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bite" is /baɪt/. 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 "bite"?
From Middle English biten, from Old English bītan (“bite”), from Proto-West Germanic *bītan, from Proto-Germanic *bītaną (“bite”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“split”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian biete (“bite”), West Frisian bite (“b... 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.

Using “bite”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-I-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /baɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Bt” - see the side-by-side comparison. bite vs Bt
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list