Baby

[ˈbeːbi]

/[ˈbeːbi]/ noun

The verdict

“Baby” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,655 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,655
frequency rank, German
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Kind, das sich noch im ersten Lebensjahr befindet

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Baby vs by
50% similar
Baby vs bb
25% similar
Baby vs Bau
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Baby
PropertyValue
HeadwordBaby
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈbeːbi]
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,655
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Baby” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Baby lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Baby is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈbeːbi]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,655 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Baby, with forms such as "babby", "babyy", and "bayb". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "bb", "Bau", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Baby, spelled B-A-B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Kind, das sich noch im ersten Lebensjahr befindet
  2. 2
    Kind im Allgemeinen, Tierjunges
  3. 3
    liebevolle Bezeichnung für die Partnerin/den Partner in einer Beziehung
  4. 4
    Bezeichnung von Männern für ein hübsches Mädchen (mit sexistischer oder chauvinistischer Konnotation)
  5. 5
    abfällige Bezeichnung für einen Menschen mit wenig Mut
  6. 6
    liebevolle Bezeichnung für selbstgeschaffene Gegenstände oder Besitz, zu dem man besondere Beziehungen hat

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: babby,babyy,bayb,bbaby,bbay

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Baby - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

babby1babyy1bayb2bbaby1bbay2
Edit distance from "Baby"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Baby"?
"Baby" is spelled B-A-B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈbeːbi].
What does "Baby" mean?
As a noun, "Baby" means: Kind, das sich noch im ersten Lebensjahr befindet
What words are commonly confused with "Baby"?
"Baby" is commonly confused with "by", "bb", "Bau". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Baby"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Baby" is [ˈbeːbi]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Baby" come from?
"Baby" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Baby”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is B-A-B-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈbeːbi] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “by” - see the side-by-side comparison. Baby vs by
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list