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'Bawl' means to cry or shout loudly; 'ball' is the round object for sports, a formal dance, or a great time.
Side-by-side comparison
"Bawl" is to cry loudly and noisily, or to shout. A baby who bawls is crying at full volume. "Bawl out" = to scold someone very loudly.
The toddler bawled for twenty minutes when they took away the toy.
He bawled out instructions across the noisy construction site.
She could hear the child bawling at the top of its lungs in the next room.
"Ball" is a round object used in sports. A formal dance event. Informally: "have a ball" = have a wonderful time. "Ball game" = a sports match or, figuratively, a different situation entirely.
The goalkeeper caught the ball cleanly in the final minute.
The charity ball raised over fifty thousand pounds for the hospital.
We had an absolute ball at the company retreat, highly recommend it.
Common mistake
"The baby balled all night" is wrong if you mean it cried loudly. "Bawl" is to cry loudly or shout. "Ball" is the sports object, the formal dance, or "have a ball" (have a great time).
Trick to remember it
- •"Bawl" has AWL like "squall" and "drawl": long, drawn-out sounds like crying.
- •"Ball" has ALL like "call" and "hall": short, contained sounds.
Quick rule
- •"Bawl" = to cry loudly or shout angrily.
- •"Ball" = the sports object, the formal dance, or to have a great time.
Did you know?
"Have a ball" originally referred to formal ball events, the most anticipated social occasions of the European aristocracy. As balls declined in the 20th century, "having a ball" became a general idiom for extraordinary fun. "Bawl" likely comes from Old Norse "baula" (to moo like a cow), a loud, uncontrolled animal sound applied to human crying. Two completely different histories behind two nearly identical sounds.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The toddler dropped her ice cream and started to _____ loudly in the street.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
We had an absolute _____ at the party last night. Best night of the year!
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy