aby

/əˈbaɪ/

//əˈbaɪ// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"aby" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aby” is uncommon English (frequency #61,938 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,938
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To pay the penalty for (something); to atone for, to make amends.

Corpus desk

Index EN-aby · aby · English

aby · rank #61,938 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,938
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH abeyance

Nearest frequency peer: abeyance (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “aby”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “aby” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for aby
PropertyValue
Headwordaby
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈbaɪ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#61,938
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “aby” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).abyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “abeyance” (#61,937), “addressable” (#61,942), “Adlai” (#61,943). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “aby” is #61,938. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

aby is uncommon English at frequency #61,938 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /əˈbaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for aby, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English abyen, abien, abiggen, from Old English ābyċġan (“to buy; pay for; buy off; requite; recompense; redeem; perform; execute”), from Proto-Germanic *uzbugjaną, equivalent to a- + buy. Cognate with Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usbugjan). Not rel… The correct English form is aby, spelled A-B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To pay the penalty for (something); to atone for, to make amends.
  2. 2
    To pay (something) as a penalty, to atone for; to suffer (something).
  3. 3
    To endure or tolerate (something); to experience.
  4. 4
    To pay for (something); to buy.
  5. 5
    To pay the penalty; to atone.
  6. 6
    To endure; to remain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how aby appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Foole-hardy Knight, full soone thou shalt aby / This fond reproach, thy body will I hang, [Hee takes down / his pole.] / And loe vpon that string thy teeth shall hang: Prepare thy selfe, for dead soone shalt thou bee
  2. Who dyes the vtmoſt dolor doth abye, / But who that liues, is lefte to waile his loſſe: / So life is loſſe, and death felicity.

Etymology

From Middle English abyen, abien, abiggen, from Old English ābyċġan (“to buy; pay for; buy off; requite; recompense; redeem; perform; execute”), from Proto-Germanic *uzbugjaną, equivalent to a- + buy. Cognate with Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usbugjan). Not related to abide.

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "aby"?
"aby" is spelled A-B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbaɪ/.
What does "aby" mean?
As a verb, "aby" means: To pay the penalty for (something); to atone for, to make amends.
How do you pronounce "aby"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aby" is /əˈbaɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "aby"?
From Middle English abyen, abien, abiggen, from Old English ābyċġan (“to buy; pay for; buy off; requite; recompense; redeem; perform; execute”), from Proto-Germanic *uzbugjaną, equivalent to a- + buy. Cognate with Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usbugjan... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "aby", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

WPC#61,913tib#61,866Cau#62,036STB#61,833

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list