# beta vs but

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### beta
*noun · IPA /ˈbiːtə/ · frequency rank #5,101*
The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental fricative sound of v found in the English words have and vase.

### but
*preposition · IPA /ˈbʌt/ · frequency rank #25*
Apart from, except (for), excluding.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beta-vs-but