# boo vs by

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### boo
*intj · IPA /buː/ · frequency rank #8,014*
A loud exclamation intended to scare someone. Usually used when one has been hidden from the target, and then appears unexpectedly.

### by
*preposition · IPA /baɪ/ · frequency rank #24*
Near or next to.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/boo-vs-by