bode
/boʊd/verb, noun
bode is spelled B-O-D-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, bode means “Of a thing: to be an indication, omen, or sign of (something); to portend” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bode?
| Letters | 4: B-O-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,820th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is bode?
Bode appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th 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 bode?
- UK /bəʊd/
- US /boʊd/
Bode has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bode.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-bode.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with bode
Sounds like: bowed (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with bode?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bode from its last stressed vowel (/oʊd/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: dobe, bedo.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of bode
- bodes present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- boding participle, present
- boded participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bode mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
Of a thing: to be an indication, omen, or sign of (something); to portend.
- 2
archaicTo declare (something, such as a future event) before it occurs; to foretell, to predict; specifically, to predict (something undesirable); to forebode.
- 3
Often followed by ill or well: of a thing: to be an indication, omen, or sign of something.
- 4
ScotlandTo make a bid or offer for (something); to bid, to offer.
- 5
simple past of bide
noun
- 1
A feeling that something is going to happen; a premonition, a presentiment.
- 2
obsoleteAn indication, an omen, a sign.
- 3
obsoleteA message; also, news, tidings.
- 4
ScotlandAn offer to pay a certain amount of money for something; a bid.
- 5
A herald; a messenger.
- 6
ScotlandobsoleteAn act of biding or waiting; a wait; also, a delay.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bode in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense (transitive) of a thing: to be an indication, omen, or sign of (something); (int:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | augurer, présager |
| German | ahnen lassen, sich ankündigen, verheißen |
| Portuguese | augurar, pressagiar |
| Spanish | agorar, agüerar, anunciarse, augurar, presagiar, pronosticar |
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.