body

/ˈbɒd.i/

//ˈbɒd.i// noun

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

"body" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“body” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #382. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#382
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Physical frame.

Corpus desk

Index EN-body · body · English

body · rank #382 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #382
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH become

Nearest frequency peer: become (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “body”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “body” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

body vs by
50% similar
body vs buy
50% similar
body vs boy
75% similar

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

Key facts for body
PropertyValue
Headwordbody
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɒd.i/
Letters4
Frequency rank#382
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “body”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “become” (#381), “coming” (#383), “single” (#380). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “body” is #382. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around body (IPA /ˈbɒd.i/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #382 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 21 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for body, with forms such as "bbody", "bdoy", and "boddy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "buy", "boy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- Proto-West Germanic *bodag Old English bodiġ Middle English bodi English body From Middle English body, bodi, bodiȝ, from Old English bodiġ, bodeġ (“body, trunk, chest, torso, height, stature”), from Proto-West Ge… The correct English form is body, spelled B-O-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Physical frame.
  2. 2
    Physical frame.
  3. 3
    Physical frame.
  4. 4
    Physical frame.
  5. 5
    Physical frame.
  6. 6
    Main section.
  7. 7
    Main section.
  8. 8
    Main section.
  9. 9
    Main section.
  10. 10
    Main section.
  11. 11
    Main section.
  12. 12
    Main section.
  13. 13
    Coherent group.
  14. 14
    Coherent group.
  15. 15
    Coherent group.
  16. 16
    Material entity.
  17. 17
    Material entity.
  18. 18
    Material entity.
  19. 19
    Material entity.
  20. 20
    The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated).
  21. 21
    A three-dimensional object, such as a cube or cone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I saw them walking from a distance, their bodies strangely angular in the dawn light.
  2. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body: is it therefore not of the body? And if the eare shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body: is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, eue…

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- Proto-West Germanic *bodag Old English bodiġ Middle English bodi English body From Middle English body, bodi, bodiȝ, from Old English bodiġ, bodeġ (“body, trunk, chest, torso, height, stature”), from Proto-West Germanic *bodag (“body, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- (“to be awake, observe”). Cognate with Old High German botah (“body, corpse, trunk, torso”) (whence Swabian Bottich (“body, torso”), Bavarian Bottich (“body, torso, carcass; lower part of a shirt or jacket”)).

Synonyms

bodbodyfleshcarcasslikamquarronssoma

This word in other languages

cuerpo(Español)corps(Français)Körper(Deutsch)corpo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbody
  • bdoy
  • boddy
  • bodyy
  • obdy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of body - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbody1bdoy2boddy1bodyy1obdy2
Edit distance from "body"

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 "body"?
"body" is spelled B-O-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɒd.i/.
What does "body" mean?
As a noun, "body" means: Physical frame.
What words are commonly confused with "body"?
"body" is commonly confused with "by", "buy", "boy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "body"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "body" is /ˈbɒd.i/. 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 "body"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- Proto-West Germanic *bodag Old English bodiġ Middle English bodi English body From Middle English body, bodi, bodiȝ, from Old English bodiġ, bodeġ (“body, trunk, chest, torso, height, stature”), from Pro... 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 "body", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

food#386mind#378hand#375half#374

Similar misspelling depth

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

true5 variantslost5 variantspost5 variantselse5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list