both

/bəʊθ/

//bəʊθ// det

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

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

The verdict

“both” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #157 in English word frequency and used as a determiner.

#157
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

both vs Bt
25% similar
both vs but
50% similar
both vs boy
50% similar

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

Key facts for both
PropertyValue
Headwordboth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechDeterminer
IPA/bəʊθ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#157
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “both” 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). both 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 both is 4 letters long, classified as a determiner, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bəʊθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #157 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for both, with forms such as "bboth", "boht", and "bothh". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Bt", "but", "boy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bothe, boþe, from Old English bā þā (“both the; both those”) and possibly reinforced by Old Norse báðir, from Proto-Germanic *bai. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bee (“both”), West Frisian beide (“both”), Dutch beide (“both”), German bei… The correct English form is both, spelled B-O-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.

Etymology

From Middle English bothe, boþe, from Old English bā þā (“both the; both those”) and possibly reinforced by Old Norse báðir, from Proto-Germanic *bai. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bee (“both”), West Frisian beide (“both”), Dutch beide (“both”), German beide (“both”), Swedish både, båda, Danish både, Norwegian både, Icelandic báðir. Replaced Middle English bō, from Old English bā, a form of Old English bēġen. A remnant of the Indo-European dual grammatical number.

This word in other languages

ambos(Español)tous les deux(Français)beide(Deutsch)ambos(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bboth,boht,bothh,botth,btoh,obth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bboth1boht2bothh1botth1btoh2obth2
Edit distance from "both"

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 "both"?
"both" is spelled B-O-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bəʊθ/.
What does "both" mean?
As a determiner, "both" means: Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.
What words are commonly confused with "both"?
"both" is commonly confused with "Bt", "but", "boy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "both"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "both" is /bəʊθ/. 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 "both"?
From Middle English bothe, boþe, from Old English bā þā (“both the; both those”) and possibly reinforced by Old Norse báðir, from Proto-Germanic *bai. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bee (“both”), West Frisian beide (“both”), Dutch beide (“both”), ... 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 “both”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-O-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bəʊθ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Bt” - see the side-by-side comparison. both vs Bt
  • 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