bod

/bɒd/

//bɒd// noun

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

"bod" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bod” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #27,073) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#27,073
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bod · bod · English

bod · rank #27,073 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,073
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bistro

Nearest frequency peer: bistro (-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 “bod”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “bod” 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).

bod vs by
33% similar
bod vs BS
0% similar
bod vs br
33% similar

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

Key facts for bod
PropertyValue
Headwordbod
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɒd/
Letters3
Frequency rank#27,073
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bod” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bodlands 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 “bistro” (#27,072), “bonanza” (#27,074), “bigoted” (#27,071). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for bod is neighbouring look-alikes ("by", "BS", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /bɒd/. Frequency #27,073 among 4,121 “B” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

bod doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "BS", "br", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of body. The sense of “person” may alternatively derive from Scottish Gaelic bodach (“old man”) via Scots. The correct English form is bod, spelled B-O-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The body.
  2. 2
    A person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Fred likes to keep his bod in shape.
  2. We are talking about a major bod here, and I don't care if half of it is plastic.

Etymology

Clipping of body. The sense of “person” may alternatively derive from Scottish Gaelic bodach (“old man”) via Scots.

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 "bod"?
"bod" is spelled B-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /bɒd/.
What does "bod" mean?
As a noun, "bod" means: The body.
What words are commonly confused with "bod"?
"bod" is commonly confused with "by", "BS", "br". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bod"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bod" is /bɒd/. 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 "bod"?
Clipping of body. The sense of “person” may alternatively derive from Scottish Gaelic bodach (“old man”) via Scots. 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 "bod", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bbl#27,067ATF#27,060asp#27,056ASD#27,055

What to do next

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

  • "bod" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "by". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #27,073 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