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PlainSpell

behind

be·hindUK /bɪˈhaɪnd/preposition, adverb, adjective, noun

behind is spelled B-E-H-I-N-D, 2 syllables: be·hind. The wrong spelling people search most is behinde: about 20 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 72 of all searches for the word. Behind is a preposition meaning “At or to the back or far side of”.

How many letters and syllables are in behind?

Letters6: B-E-H-I-N-D
Syllables2: be·hind
In writing195 times per million words; the 516th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched1; the most searched, behinde, about 20 Bing searches a month (all of them)
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How do you spell behind?

Behind is spelled B-E-H-I-N-D. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 72 of the searches for behind in either form.

behindthe right spelling1,420 searches a month
behindean extra e20 searches a month

Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.

How common is behind?

Behind appears 195 times per million words in written English, the 516th 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 behind?

  • UK /bɪˈhaɪnd/
  • UK /bəˈhaɪnd/
  • /beˈhəɪn/

Behind has 2 syllables, split be·hind in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-behind.ogg, En-us-behind.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with behind?

3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as behind from its last stressed vowel (/aɪnd/, British pronunciation):

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 behind

  • behine
  • more behind comparative
  • most behind superlative
  • behinds plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does behind mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

preposition

  1. 1

    At or to the back or far side of.

    The children were hiding behind the wall.

  2. 2

    Concealed by (something serving as a facade or disguise).

    Behind the smile was a cruel intention.

  3. 3

    In the past, from the viewpoint of.

    All my problems are behind me.

  4. 4

    After in physical progress or distance.

    Smith finished the race a lap behind the others.

  5. 5

    After in developmental progress, score, grade, etc.; inferior to.

    I'm ranked sixth in the French class, behind five other pupils.

  6. 6

    After in time.

    London is nine hours behind Tokyo.

  7. 7

    Responsible for, being the creator or controller of.

    Who is behind these terrorist attacks?

  8. 8

    Underlying, being the reason for or explanation of.

    What is behind this unexpected decision?

adverb

  1. 1

    At or in the rear or back part of something.

    The water flows out through the pipe, and the sediment collects behind.

  2. 2

    In a rearward direction.

    We ran and ran, without once looking behind.

  3. 3

    So as to come after someone or something in position, distance, advancement, ranking, time, etc.

    The slower runners were left a long way behind.

  4. 4

    So as to be still in place after someone or something has departed or ceased to exist.

    I couldn't be bothered to carry the ironing board, so I left it behind.

  5. 5

    Backward in time or order of succession; past.

  6. 6

    Behind the scenes in a theatre; backstage.

  7. 7

    archaicNot yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining.

adjective

  1. 1

    Not advanced to the required or expected degree; overdue or in arrears.

    I'm very behind in my schedule.

  2. 2

    Slow.

    My watch is behind by four minutes.

noun

  1. 1

    The rear, back-end.

    This part fits under the behind of the vehicle.

  2. 2

    informalThe buttocks, bottom, butt.

    I was stung on the behind by a wasp.

  3. 3

    Synonym of ass (“synecdochic: a person or their body”).

    Get your lazy behind out of bed!

  4. 4

    A one-point score.

  5. 5

    slangThe catcher.

  6. 6

    In the Eton College field game, any of a group of players consisting of two "shorts" (who try to kick the ball over the bully) and a "long" (who defends the goal).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Behind in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchderrière (at the back of), après (after, time- or motion-wise), revers (rear, back-end)
Germanhinter (at the back of), hinten (at the back part; in the rear), Hintern (buttocks)
Portugueseatrás, detrás de (at the back of), depois (after, time- or motion-wise), para trás (at the back part; in the rear), por trás (responsible for), apoiando (in support of)
Spanishdetrás de, atrás (at the back of), después (after, time- or motion-wise), arredro (at the back part; in the rear), detrás (to the back of)

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 behind come from?

From Middle English behinde, behinden, from Old English behindan (“on the back side of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihindan, *bihindini (“on the back side of, in the rear of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bi- + *hindō (“the hind side, back part”), equivalent to be- + hind. Compare Old Saxon bihindan (“behind”, adverb), Middle High German behinter (“behind; back”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after behind