Which to use
“bane” is a verb and “bates” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,461
- “bane” frequency rank
- #23,320
- “bates” frequency rank
- 72781
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bane | bates |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de banir. | Forma del plural de bate. |
Where the eye mixes bane and bates
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between bane and bates
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bane is [ˈbane] while bates is [ˈbat̪es]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bane is recorded at frequency rank #49,461, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbane]. bates is at rank #23,320, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbat̪es].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 72781, this pair ranks #24,676 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bane vs bates
Shared letters: abe. Private to "bane": n. Private to "bates": st.
"bane" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "bates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bane" and "bates" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "bane" vs "bates" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bane" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bates" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #24,676 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bane" and "bates" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bane vs brie". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #24,676 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.