behalf
/bɪˈhæf/noun
behalf is spelled B-E-H-A-L-F: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, behalf means “The interest, benefit, or wellbeing of someone or something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of behalf is behalves or behalfs.
How many letters and syllables are in behalf?
| Letters | 6: B-E-H-A-L-F |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,479th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is behalf?
Behalf appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce behalf?
- US /bɪˈhæf/
- UK /bɪˈhɑːf/
- UK /bəˈhɑːf/
Behalf has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-behalf.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with behalf?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as behalf from its last stressed vowel (/æf/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of behalf
- behalves plural
- behalfs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does behalf mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The interest, benefit, or wellbeing of someone or something.
She appeared on behalf of the U.N. Secretary General at a conference held in behalf of the world's children.
- 2
One's role or rightful place; stead or authority.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Behalf in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense behalf:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does behalf come from?
From Middle English bihalve (“nearby”), from Old English bī healfe (“by [his/her] side”), from bī (“by”) + healfe (“side, half”), equivalent to be- + half.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).