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This is in the spirit of the What is a Word™/Phrase™ series started by JLee with a special brand of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles.

If a word conforms to a special rule, I call it a Bind Word™.

Use the examples below to find the rule.

Bind Words™ Not Bind Words™
BAY OCEAN
BOOK MOVIE
CARROT RADISH
CONDOM PILL
COVE CAVE
CRAVE COVET
CROP CLIP
CULTURE NATURE
DARK LIGHT
DIVE PLUNGE
DOCK PIER
DONE BUSY
DUSK DAWN
GAWK GOGGLE
GORSE FURZE
GROW SHRINK
GULF RIVER
HACK CRACK
HARK HARM
HAVEN HARBOR
JAM JELLY
JAW CHEEK
JOY SORROW
LACK NEED
LOOK WATCH
LOOSE TIGHT
MUCK MUD
OIL FAT
OWN DISOWN
PINCH PINT
PLEASANT UNPLEASANT
ROOF CEILING
ROSIN AMBER
SCAN SCAR
SHALLOW DEEP
SHIFT CHANGE
SNARLING BARKING
STORM TORNADO
STORY TALE
SWAP SWITCH
SWIPE CLEAN
THICKEN THIN
WIDER NARROWER

CSV version:

Bind Words™,Not Bind Words™
BAY,OCEAN
BOOK,MOVIE
CARROT,RADISH
CONDOM,PILL
COVE,CAVE
CRAVE,COVET
CROP,CLIP
CULTURE,NATURE
DARK,LIGHT
DIVE,PLUNGE
DOCK,PIER
DONE,BUSY
DUSK,DAWN
GAWK,GOGGLE
GORSE,FURZE
GROW,SHRINK
GULF,RIVER
HACK,CRACK
HARK,HARM
HAVEN,HARBOR
JAM,JELLY
JAW,CHEEK
JOY,SORROW
LACK,NEED
LOOK,WATCH
LOOSE,TIGHT
MUCK,MUD
OIL,FAT
OWN,DISOWN
PINCH,PINT
PLEASANT,UNPLEASANT
ROOF,CEILING
ROSIN,AMBER
SCAN,SCAR
SHALLOW,DEEP
SHIFT,CHANGE
SNARLING,BARKING
STORM,TORNADO
STORY,TALE
SWAP,SWITCH
SWIPE,CLEAN
THICKEN,THIN
WIDER,NARROWER

The puzzle relies on the series' inbuilt assumption, that each word can be tested for whether it is a Bind Word™ without relying on the other words.

These are not the only examples of Bind Words™, many more exist.

Hint:

All Bind Words™ are related to types of binds.

Hint 2:

Most Bind Words™ listed above are related to just one type of bind. Some Bind Words™ (I call them Double Bind Words™) are related to more than one kind of bind at the same time, though. HARK, JAW and LOOK are examples of those.

Hint 3:

Long words are unlikely to be Bind Words™.

N.B.: A previous hint was that all types of binds were only used once in the list, but since the latest couple of additions that's not true anymore.

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    $\begingroup$ For some reason, I read that as "blind" and was searching for Braille. Maybe, too many braille puzzles has rotten away my brain. :P $\endgroup$
    – Sid
    Feb 8, 2017 at 9:11
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    $\begingroup$ I saw blind too and was thinking something to do with the letter 'C' (see) $\endgroup$
    – Beastly Gerbil
    Feb 8, 2017 at 10:15
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    $\begingroup$ Low value comment: Neither set of examples contain B, Q, X, or Z. Additionally, example Bind Words do not contain G or N and example Not Bind Words do not contain M. $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Feb 8, 2017 at 20:26
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    $\begingroup$ Well I've had fun with letter position in the alphabet, and found some palindromic patterns (might be totally random) but, CONDOM = 3 + 15 + 14 + 4 + 15 + 13 = (if we remove the '+') 3151441513. Coincidental or not, it's funny. (hidden question : am I looking in the right direction ? Other words are hard to find pattern in.) $\endgroup$
    – Lilian Delaveau
    Feb 23, 2017 at 9:17
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    $\begingroup$ isn't this too localized, i mean a spelling change from bird to bind ? It could be band, bond ... $\endgroup$
    – Sikorski
    Mar 1, 2017 at 5:37

1 Answer 1

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Bind Words™ are ones which are

Bird names with one letter misspelled

Examples are

Bay → Jay
Book → Rook
Carrot → Parrot
Condom → Condor
Cove → Dove
Crave → Crane
Crop → Crow
Culture → Vulture
Dark → Lark
Dive → Dove
Dock → Duck
Done → Dove

Double Bind Words™ are

Related in the same way to two birds e.g.
Hark → Lark or Hawk
Look → Rook or Loon

And they are called Bind words because

Bind is a Bind Word™; "bind" is "bird" with one letter misspelled. All of the examples are bird words.

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    $\begingroup$ "The Parrot and the Carrot one may easily confound; / They're very much alike in looks, and similar in sound. / We recognize the Parrot by his clear articulation, / For Carrots are unable to engage in conversation." -- R W Wood, How to tell the birds from the flowers $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Mar 1, 2017 at 3:00

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