Bethany

/ˈbɛθəni/

//ˈbɛθəni// name

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

"bethany" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Bethany” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,027 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#19,027
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The village where Jesus stayed before going to Jerusalem and being crucified.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Bethany vs betray
57% similar
Bethany vs botany
57% similar

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

Key facts for Bethany
PropertyValue
HeadwordBethany
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈbɛθəni/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,027
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Bethany” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Bethany lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Bethany is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɛθəni/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,027 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Bethany, with forms such as "bbethany", "behtany", and "betahny". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "betray", "botany", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek Βηθανία (Bēthanía), from Aramaic בית עניא (beth anya, “house of wretchedness”). This etymology is highly disputed; see Bethany. The correct English form is Bethany, spelled B-E-T-H-A-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The village where Jesus stayed before going to Jerusalem and being crucified.
  2. 2
    The village where Lazarus, Mary and Martha lived (Bible, John 11 v. 1)
  3. 3
    Mary of Bethany, sometimes identified as Mary Magdalene.
  4. 4
    A female given name from Aramaic, transferred use of the biblical place name.
  5. 5
    Other places naned Bethany elsewhere
  6. 6
    Other places naned Bethany elsewhere:

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Βηθανία (Bēthanía), from Aramaic בית עניא (beth anya, “house of wretchedness”). This etymology is highly disputed; see Bethany.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbethany,behtany,betahny,bethanny,bethanyy,bethayn,bethhany,bethnay,betthany,btehany,ebthany

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbethany1behtany2betahny2bethanny1bethanyy1bethayn2bethhany1bethnay2
Edit distance from "Bethany"

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 "Bethany"?
"Bethany" is spelled B-E-T-H-A-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛθəni/.
What does "Bethany" mean?
As a proper noun, "Bethany" means: The village where Jesus stayed before going to Jerusalem and being crucified.
What words are commonly confused with "Bethany"?
"Bethany" is commonly confused with "betray", "botany". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Bethany"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Bethany" is /ˈbɛθəni/. 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 "Bethany"?
From Ancient Greek Βηθανία (Bēthanía), from Aramaic בית עניא (beth anya, “house of wretchedness”). This etymology is highly disputed; see Bethany. 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.

Using “Bethany”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-T-H-A-N-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɛθəni/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “betray” - see the side-by-side comparison. Bethany vs betray
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list