Babe or Baby

[pontipinemum]

Not really the right place to post but I wanted the voting buttons.

Are a lot of people spelling baby, babe these days?

I've noticed in a good few mothers groups I am on e.g in the pic.

Babe isn't a word I would really use, but the context I know it in is 'Alright babe', 'Awww babe you look fab' something you say to adults and pronounced like babe the 90s movie about a pig.

YABU - Babe and Baby are interchangeable and mean the same thing
YANBU - Baby = human infant. Babe = said differently and term used for adults

Very pedantic I know, and yes I've little to be doing with myself!

YANBU. Babe and baby have different meanings, I would never call my DH baby.

I think both words are useable interchangeably in both senses.

I like both for an infant and neither for an adult

I mean, they're different words but people definitely use babe to refer to a baby. And I don't think anyone writes "babe" thinking it's pronounced "baby", if that's what you're asking?

My great grandma used to always use the word "babe" to refer to babies, so I'm sure it's not a recent thing anyway

Are they not? Yes that's what I thought, that they were saying babe instead of baby. I see things like 'how do I settle babe' 'my babe is 7 months old' 'my babe's dad'

Babe-in-arms is a common turn of phrase? Very old English.

I think nowadays it's simply an affectionate shortening of baby, rather than a very young infant.

Whist babe does have other meanings, I don't think it's weird.

Baby and babe are pronounced differently but you can use either for adults or children. I don't much like calling adults baby or babe but I love calling babies babes.

Now I've written babe too much. Babe babe babe.

Agree. Baby for an actual baby is hardly a new thing.

*Babe for a baby