Bail is a bond, a surety: “The accused are being held on $10,000 bail.” We often hear this word, don’t we?
Bale, on the other hand, is a large amount of material; such as, hay, wood, paper, cotton, etc. which is pressed together tightly and often tied or wrapped: “The farmer loaded the big bale of hay on to the truck.” Bale has another meaning: that which causes ruin or sorrow: “She was suffering the bale of woe and torment in her mental anguish.”
Usage example for all the meanings:
When he dropped a bale of cotton on his foot, it caused the bale of his career as an athlete. So, he got a job with a small legal organization and got used to the life of filling out bail applications for other.
Explore More Usage Tips:
Which one –bale or bail– is correct for the wire gizmo that holds a stopper or lid & rubber gasket on an old glass bottle or jar? (Like the Le Parfait canning jars from France.) MTIA!
should be bale..as one of its meaning’s is: ‘a large bundle or package prepared for shipping, storage, or sale, especially one tightly compressed and secured by wires, hoops, cords, or the like, and sometimes having a wrapping or covering: a bale of cotton; a bale of hay.’
so it represents a wrapping around something , to hold it together…