Word Confusion: Band versus Banned

Posted November 29, 2018 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
1 Sept 2022

Blame it on the heterograph (a subset of homophone). That danged pair, band versus banned, sound so similar . . . and as a writer, you MUST pay attention or your title will be banned by readers! After all that work, you do NOT want that. Not after you band all that work together!

Do peek in at the post “Banns versus Bans” as well.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Band versus Banned” interesting, consider tweeting it to your friends. Subscribe to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

Return to top

Band	Banned
The Reverend Edmund Nelson is an oil painting by Sir William Beechey and is in the public domain courtesy of The National Maritime Museum, via Wikimedia Commons. — The reverend is wearing Geneva bands.	Pink Peeps Banned by Jon Sullivan was originally uploaded by Ninjatacoshell at English Wikipedia, transferred to Commons by IngerAlHaosului using CommonsHelper, and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Part of Grammar:
Noun ¹, ², and ³; Verb, intransitive ² & transitive ¹ Plural for the noun and third person present verb: bands Past tense or past participle: banded Gerund or present participle: banding	Past tense or past participle for ban Noun ¹, ²; Verb, transitive ¹ Plural for the noun: bans, bani [²] Third person present verb: bans Past tense or past participle: banned Gerund or present participle: banning
A group, stripe, or strip Noun: A flat, thin strip or loop of material put around something, typically to hold it together or to decorate it ¹ A plain ring for the finger, especially a gold wedding ring [Ornithology; North American] A ring of metal placed around a bird’s leg to identify it A belt connecting wheels or pulleys [bands or Geneva bands] A collar with two hanging strips, worn by certain clerics and academics as part of their formal dress A flat collar commonly worn by men and women in the 17th century in western Europe A fillet, belt, or strap A stripe, as of color or decorative work A stripe or elongated area of a different color, texture, or composition than its surroundings A narrow stratum of rock or coal A strip of paper or other material serving as a label Any of several groups into which school pupils of the same age are divided on the basis of broadly similar ability [Financial] A range of values or a specified category within a series [Science] A range of frequencies or wavelengths in a spectrum (especially of radio frequencies) [Radio and Television] A specific range of frequencies, especially a set of radio frequencies, as HF, VHF, and UHF [Physics] A closely spaced group of energy levels of electrons in a solid [On a long-playing phonograph record] One of a set of grooves in which sound has been recorded, separated from an adjacent set or sets by grooves without recorded sound [Computers] One or more tracks or channels on a magnetic drum [Dentistry] A strip of thin metal encircling a tooth, usually for anchoring an orthodontic apparatus [Anatomy, Zoology] A ribbonlike or cordlike structure encircling, binding, or connecting a part or parts [In handbound books] One of several cords of hemp or flax handsewn across the back of the collated signatures of a book to provide added strength A group of people who have a common interest or purpose ² [Anthropology] A subgroup of a tribe [Canada] A First Nations community that is officially recognized by the federal government, having an elected government with authority over internal affairs and acknowledged rights to a tract of land A group of persons living outside the law A small group of musicians and vocalists who play pop, jazz, or rock music A group of musicians who play brass, wind, or percussion instruments [North American] A herd or flock [Archaic; usually bands] A thing that restrains, binds, or unites ³ Articles for binding the person or the limbs Shackles Manacles Fetters Verb, intransitive: [Of people or organizations] Form a group for a mutual purpose ² [Often followed by together] To unite Confederate Verb, transitive: Surround (an object) with something in the form of a strip or ring, typically for reinforcement or decoration ¹ [Ornithology; North American] Put a band on (a bird) for identification Mark (something) with a stripe or stripes of a different color To unite in a troop, company, or confederacy [British; used especially in financial contexts] Allocate to a range or category Group (school pupils) into classes or sets for teaching purposes	Forbidden Noun: An official or legal prohibition ¹ An official exclusion of a person from an organization, country, or activity [Archaic] A curse A monetary unit of Romania, equal to one hundredth of a leu ² Verb, transitive: Officially or legally prohibit ¹ Officially exclude someone from a place Forbid Bar Interdict [Archaic] To pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon To curse Execrate
Examples:
Noun: We found wads of banknotes fastened with gummed paper bands. A narrow band of gold was her only jewelry. Leg bands are often applied by the breeder to help identify and keep track of their birds. Has anyone seen my hair band? In the early years the wheels had iron bands, so it was a fairly jolty ride to school. He was wearing a dark top with a horizontal band across it. The band of limestone continues north on the same contour. Gus collects cigar bands. Mrs Hennessy, where are my clerical bands? It was a long, narrow band of cloud. On a notable day in July the cub was snoozing with his sisters within the band of trees, ears alert for danger signals. Your home was placed in one of eight valuation bands. The channels were in the UHF band. There was a band on each bunch of parsley. Guerrilla bands have been reported throughout the region. They were a determined band of activists. The legislation requires aboriginal communities to post their band’s financial statements online. Philip was born a Shushwap Indian, part of the Little Shushwap band. That’s one top prize for each of the three age bands in both categories. Band members have an aboriginal right to fish in the river. Did you hear the band’s last two albums? They’re a local band. This parade will include a military band. This time of year, there are moving bands of caribou. Scientists use this frequency band in seismic studies to understand natural activities in earth’s atmosphere. Very high frequency (VHF) is one of the most commonly used bands. The tracks on a magnetic drum are assigned to channels located around the circumference of the drum, forming adjacent circular bands that wind around the drum. Orthodontic bands are custom-fit so that they completely encircle the tooth. The Illiotibial band is a thick piece of connective tissue that runs parallel to the femur from the hip to the knee. It was an elegant handmade book, case-bound, with raised bands, in wood and black leather. He comes out bound with bands and a cloth over his head. “Our wedding bands indicate our unity,” she said breathlessly. Verb, intransitive: Local people banded together to fight the company. They banded together to oust the chairman. Verb, transitive: The doors were banded with iron to make them stronger. The map shows where starlings banded in Holland were later recovered. The bird’s bill is banded across the middle with black. Look, Mom, I found a banded agate. Single adults in a property banded above D will pay more. The infants are banded in terms of their ability. We banded the birds so that we could identify them later.	Noun: There was a proposed ban on cigarette advertising. It ended with a three-year driving ban. They proposed a ban on foreign correspondents who were condemned by international leaders. The land might be smitten by the ban which once fell upon the Canaanites. There are 100 bani to a leu. Verb, transitive: He was banned from driving for a year. They have banned all trade in ivory. He once was banned from a casino in Reno. Nuclear weapons should be banned. The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime. A law was passed in Israel that banned the use of super skinny models. The press was banned from the showrooms.
Derivatives:
Adjective: banded, bandless, bandpass Noun: Band-Aid, bandage, bandaging, bandbox, bandeau, bandeaux, bander, banding, bandog, bandleader, bandmaster, bandmate, bandpass, bandsaw, bandshell, bandsman, bandstand, bandwidth Verb: bandaging	Adjective: bannable, unbanned
History of the Word:
Late Old English as in a thing that restrains, binds, or unites is from the Old Norse, reinforced in late Middle English by the Old French bande, which is of Germanic origin and related to bind. Late Middle English from the Old French bande, which is of Germanic origin and related to banner. Late Old English from the Old Norse band; cognate with Old Saxon, the Old Frisian band, the Old High German bant, and akin to the Sanskrit bandha-.	Old English bannan meaning summon by a public proclamation, is of Germanic origin, and reinforced by the Old Norse banna meaning curse, prohibit The noun is partly from the Old French ban meaning proclamation, summons, banishment. Romanian.

Return to top

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

Return to top