English Word Reference Free

box

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Browse Words → Compare Confusables

By · Reviewed against Wiktionary & Hunspell sources ·

Letters

3 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "box", 3-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "box" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "box" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

box is aEnglishnoun. It means: Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. Pronounced /bɒks/. It ranks #962 in English word frequency. Often confused with by and BS.

Key facts for box
PropertyValue
Headwordbox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɒks/
Letters3
Frequency rank#962
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of box in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for box is 3 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɒks/. Corpus data places it at rank #962 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 36 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No frequent misspelling variants are recorded for box in our index, suggesting the orthography either follows predictable English patterns or the word is uncommon enough that typo corpora lack signal.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "BS", "br", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Ancient Greek πῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos) Ancient Greek -ις (-is) Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís)bor. Late Latin buxisbor. Proto-West Germanic *buhsā Old English box Middle English box English box From Middle English box (“container, box, cup”), from Old Eng… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is box, spelled B-O-X, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  4. 4
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  5. 5
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  6. 6
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  7. 7
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  8. 8
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  9. 9
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  10. 10
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  11. 11
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  12. 12
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  13. 13
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  14. 14
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  15. 15
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  16. 16
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  17. 17
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  18. 18
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  19. 19
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  20. 20
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  21. 21
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  22. 22
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  23. 23
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  24. 24
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  25. 25
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  26. 26
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  27. 27
    Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
  28. 28
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  29. 29
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  30. 30
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  31. 31
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  32. 32
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  33. 33
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  34. 34
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  35. 35
    Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
  36. 36
    A rectangular object in any number of dimensions.

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek πῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos) Ancient Greek -ις (-is) Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís)bor. Late Latin buxisbor. Proto-West Germanic *buhsā Old English box Middle English box English box From Middle English box (“container, box, cup”), from Old English box (“box, case”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhsā (“box”) from Late Latin buxis (“box”), Latin pyxis (“small box for medicines or toiletries”), of uncertain origin; compare Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís, “box or tablet made of boxwood; box; cylinder”) and πύξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”). Doublet of piseog, pyx, and pyxis. Cognate with Middle Dutch bosse, busse (“jar; tin; round box”) (modern Dutch bos (“wood, forest”), bus (“container, box; bushing of a wheel”)), Old High German buhsa (Middle High German buhse, bühse, modern German Büchse (“box; can”)), Swedish bössa (“box”). The humorous plural form boxen is from box + -en, by analogy with oxen. (motor racing): Used since it is more distinct over the radio compared to pit. Also from German Boxenstopp (“pit stop”).

This word in other languages

Spanish(Español)Portuguese(Português)French(Français)German(Deutsch)

Frequency rank: #962 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "box"?
"box" is spelled B-O-X. The IPA pronunciation is /bɒks/.
What does "box" mean?
As a noun, "box" means: Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
What words are commonly confused with "box"?
"box" is commonly confused with "by", "BS", "br". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "box"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "box" is /bɒks/. 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 "box"?
Etymology tree Ancient Greek πῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos) Ancient Greek -ις (-is) Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís)bor. Late Latin buxisbor. Proto-West Germanic *buhsā Old English box Middle English box English box From Middle English box (“container, box, cup”), fr... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter B in our English index:

All "B" wordsABCDEFGHIJKL

Explore PlainSpell

English Words

Browse all English

Words: B

Browse "b" words

Confusable Pairs

Commonly confused words

Spelling Guides

Tips & reference

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.