box

/bɒks/

//bɒks// noun

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

"box" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“box” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #962 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#962
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

box vs by
33% similar
box vs BS
0% similar
box vs br
33% similar

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

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

Where “box” 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). box 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 box is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, 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.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for box, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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… The correct English form is box, spelled B-O-X.

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

caja(Español)boîte(Français)Kasten(Deutsch)caixa(Português)

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 "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.

Using “box”

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

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