behind

/bɪˈhaɪnd/

//bɪˈhaɪnd// prep

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

"behind" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“behind” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #509. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#509
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At or to the back or far side of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-behind · behind · English

behind · rank #509 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #509
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH art

Nearest frequency peer: art (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “behind”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “behind” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

behind vs bend
67% similar
behind vs bind
67% similar
behind vs bein
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for behind
PropertyValue
Headwordbehind
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/bɪˈhaɪnd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#509
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “behind” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).behindlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “art” (#508), “building” (#510), “players” (#507). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around behind (IPA /bɪˈhaɪnd/), apreposition. Corpus frequency is #509 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for behind, with forms such as "bbehind", "behhind", and "behidn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "bend", "bind", "bein", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 pa… The correct English form is behind, spelled B-E-H-I-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    At or to the back or far side of.
  2. 2
    At or to the back or far side of.
  3. 3
    At or to the back or far side of.
  4. 4
    Less forward or advanced than; after.
  5. 5
    Less forward or advanced than; after.
  6. 6
    Less forward or advanced than; after.
  7. 7
    Responsible for, being the creator or controller of.
  8. 8
    Underlying, being the reason for or explanation of.
  9. 9
    In support of.
  10. 10
    Following, subsequent to; as a result or consequence of; because of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The children were hiding behind the wall.
  2. Behind the garage needs clearing asap.

Etymology

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”).

This word in other languages

atrás(Español)derrière(Français)hinter(Deutsch)atrás(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbehind
  • behhind
  • behidn
  • behindd
  • behinnd
  • behnid
  • beihnd
  • bheind
  • ebhind

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of behind - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbehind1behhind1behidn2behindd1behinnd1behnid2beihnd2bheind2
Edit distance from "behind"

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 "behind"?
"behind" is spelled B-E-H-I-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈhaɪnd/.
What does "behind" mean?
As a preposition, "behind" means: At or to the back or far side of.
What words are commonly confused with "behind"?
"behind" is commonly confused with "bend", "bind", "bein". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "behind"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "behind" is /bɪˈhaɪnd/. 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 "behind"?
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 sid... 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 "behind", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

market#513living#503myself#493former#528

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

street9 variantswasn't9 variantsreport9 variantscurrent9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "behind". Here's where to go from here.

  • "behind" maps to 14 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "bend". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #509 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list