# better

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈbɛt.ə/ · frequency rank #168

## Definitions
1. comparative form of good: more good
2. comparative form of well: more well
3. Greater in amount or quantity
4. Greater or lesser (whichever is seen as more advantageous), in reference to value, distance, time, etc.
5. Healed or recovered from an injury or illness.

## Etymology
From Middle English better, bettre, betre, from Old English betera (“better”), from Proto-West Germanic *batiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *batizô (“better”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed-rós, from *bʰed- (“good”).
Cognate with Sanskrit भद्र (bhadrá, “blessed, fortunate, happy, good”) (from *bʰn̥d-ró-s). For Germanic cognates: see Proto-Germanic *batizô. Related to best and battle (“getting better, improving, fruitful, fertile”). Compare also Icelandic batna (“to improve”), bót (“improvement”), German besser. More at batten, boot.
False cognate of Persian بهتر (behtar).

## Easily confused with
- **betty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-betty)
- **butte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-butte)
- **biter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-biter)
- **butter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-butter)
- **bother** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-bother)
- **bitter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-bitter)
- **butler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-butler)
- **bitten** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-bitten)
- **buster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-buster)
- **butted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-butted)
- **butters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-butters)
- **buttery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-buttery)
- **blatter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/better-vs-blatter)
- **beer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beer-vs-better)
- **Bette** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bette-vs-better)
- **betta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/betta-vs-better)
- **beaten** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaten-vs-better)
- **beaver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-better)
- **batter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/batter-vs-better)
- **Baxter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baxter-vs-better)

## Common misspellings (7)
`bbetter`, `beter`, `betetr`, `betterr`, `bettre`, `bteter`, `ebtter`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/better