beat around the bush
/ˈbiːt əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
"beat-around-the-bush" is a 17-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“beat around the bush” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 20
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.
Corpus desk
Index EN-beat-around-the-bush · beat around the bush · English
beat around the bush · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 20 letters
- VOW-7 7 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | beat around the bush |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈbiːt əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/ |
| Letters | 20 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “beat around the bush” in English
Rare enough to double-check
beat around the bush is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbiːt əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for beat around the bush in our index, 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 the older form beat about the bush, replacing the preposition. The correct English form is beat around the bush, spelled B-E-A-T- -A-R-O-U-N-D- -T-H-E- -B-U-S-H.
Definition
- 1To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.
- 2To delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how beat around the bush appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Just stop beating around the bush and tell me what the problem is!
"Look here," said Smith, menacingly, "if you think I cheated you, you might as well say so right out. I don't like beating around the bush."
Etymology
From the older form beat about the bush, replacing the preposition.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.