between
be·tween/bəˈtwin/preposition, noun
between is spelled B-E-T-W-E-E-N, 2 syllables: be·tween. The wrong spelling people search most is betwen: about 30 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 72 of all searches for the word. Between is a preposition meaning “In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See Usage…”.
How many letters and syllables are in between?
| Letters | 7: B-E-T-W-E-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: be·tween |
| In writing | 589 times per million words; the 168th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 7; the most searched, betwen, about 30 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 between?
Between is spelled B-E-T-W-E-E-N. 7 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 22 of the searches for between in either form.
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 between?
Between appears 589 times per million words in written English, the 168th 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 between?
- UK /bɪˈtwiːn/
- British /bɪˈtwɪjn/
- US /bəˈtwin/
Between has 2 syllables, split be·tween in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-between.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with between?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as between from its last stressed vowel (/in/):
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 between
- betweene
- betwene
- b/w
- btwn
- btw
- betweens plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does between mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
preposition
- 1
In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See Usage notes below.)
John stood between Amy and Mary. Let’s meet between two and three.
- 2
Done together or reciprocally.
conversation between friends
- 3
Shared in confidence.
Between you and me, I think the boss is crazy. Let's keep this between ourselves.
- 4
In transit from (one to the other, or connecting places).
He's between jobs right now. The shuttle runs between the town and the airport.
- 5
Combined (by effort or ownership).
Between us all, we shall succeed. We've only got £5 between us.
- 6
One of (representing a choice).
You must choose between him and me.
- 7
Taking together the combined effect of.
Between the food and the card games, this proved to be the best birthday party I have ever had.
noun
- 1
A kind of needle, shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, used for making fine stitches on heavy fabrics.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate between?
Wiktionary records 5 abbreviations of between: b/w, bet., betw., btw, btwn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Between in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in the position or interval that separates two things:
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 between come from?
From Middle English betwene, from Old English betwēonum (“between, among”, dative plural, literally “by the two, near both”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *twīhnaz (“two each”), corresponding to be- + twain. Cognate with Scots between (“between”), Scots atween (“between”), Gothic 𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌹 (tweihnai, “two each”), Old English betweoh (“between”), Old English twinn (“double, twofold”). More at betwixt, twin. More distantly related to Ancient Greek διά (diá, “through, across, by, over”) whence English dia- (“through, across, between”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).