bode

/bəʊd/

//bəʊd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“bode” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,746 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#27,746
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To indicate by signs, as future events; to be an omen of; to portend or foretell.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bode vs boy
50% similar
bode vs box
50% similar
bode vs bye
50% similar

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

Key facts for bode
PropertyValue
Headwordbode
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bəʊd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#27,746
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bode” 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). bode 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 bode is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bəʊd/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,746 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for bode, with forms such as "bbode", "bdoe", and "bodde". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "boy", "box", "bye", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Verb from Middle English boden, from Old English bodian (“announce, foretell”), from Proto-West Germanic *bodōn, from Proto-Germanic *budōną (“to proclaim, announce, lere, instruct”). See bid. Noun from Middle English bod, from Old English bod, from Proto-G… The correct English form is bode, spelled B-O-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To indicate by signs, as future events; to be an omen of; to portend or foretell.
  2. 2
    To betoken or augur something good or bad that will happen in the future.

Etymology

Verb from Middle English boden, from Old English bodian (“announce, foretell”), from Proto-West Germanic *bodōn, from Proto-Germanic *budōną (“to proclaim, announce, lere, instruct”). See bid. Noun from Middle English bod, from Old English bod, from Proto-Germanic *budą (“message, offer”). Since 1740 also a shortening of forebode.

This word in other languages

anunciarse(Español)augurer(Français)verheißen(Deutsch)augurar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbode,bdoe,bodde,obde

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbode1bdoe2bodde1obde2
Edit distance from "bode"

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 "bode"?
"bode" is spelled B-O-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bəʊd/.
What does "bode" mean?
As a verb, "bode" means: To indicate by signs, as future events; to be an omen of; to portend or foretell.
What words are commonly confused with "bode"?
"bode" is commonly confused with "boy", "box", "bye". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bode"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bode" is /bəʊd/. 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 "bode"?
Verb from Middle English boden, from Old English bodian (“announce, foretell”), from Proto-West Germanic *bodōn, from Proto-Germanic *budōną (“to proclaim, announce, lere, instruct”). See bid. Noun from Middle English bod, from Old English bod, fr... 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 “bode”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-O-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bəʊd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “boy” - see the side-by-side comparison. bode vs boy
  • 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