ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatenoun / verbnoun / verb
BalevsBail
'Bale' is a large bundle of hay, straw, or cotton; 'bail' is a security deposit for release from custody, or to scoop water out.
Side-by-side comparison
Bale
noun / verb"Bale" is a large compressed bundle of hay, straw, cotton, or paper tied for storage or transport. "A bale of hay" = a bound block of dried grass used to feed livestock.
The farmer stacked twenty bales of hay in the barn before the rain arrived.
Cotton bales were loaded onto the cargo ship at the port before dawn.
She tripped over a bale of straw during the harvest festival celebration.
Bail
noun / verb"Bail" is money deposited as security for a prisoner's release before trial. "Bail out" = to rescue someone financially or to jump from an aircraft by parachute. Also: to scoop water from a boat.
The judge set bail at fifty thousand dollars, which the family could not afford.
The government bailed out three major banks during the financial crisis.
They had to bail the boat constantly after the hull developed a small leak.
Common mistake
- •"A financial bale-out" is wrong: the economic rescue is a "bail-out".
- •"Bale" is the compressed bundle of hay or straw.
- •"Bail" is the court deposit or the financial rescue.
Trick to remember it
- •"Bail" rhymes with "jail": bail gets you out of jail.
- •"Bale" rhymes with "tale": imagine a hay bale in a countryside story.
Quick rule
- •"Bale" = compressed bundle of hay or straw (noun).
- •"Bail" = court deposit, financial rescue, or to scoop water from a boat.
Did you know?
"Bail out" in finance was popularized during the 2008 banking crisis, but its aviation origin, a pilot bailing out of a crashing plane, dates to the First World War. The legal sense comes from Old French "bailler" (to hand over, to entrust), posting bail literally hands the accused to someone's custody until trial. Three very different uses of the same word, all with their own fascinating history.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
He was arrested but released on _____ the next morning.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The farmer stacked the round _____ s of hay in the corner of the barn.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy