business

/ˈbɪz.nɪs/

//ˈbɪz.nɪs// noun

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

"business" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“business” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #246 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#246
frequency rank, English
8
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

business vs businesses
80% similar
business vs busiest
75% similar

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

Key facts for business
PropertyValue
Headwordbusiness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɪz.nɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#246
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “business” 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). business 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 business is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɪz.nɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #246 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 20 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for business, with forms such as "bbusiness", "bsuiness", and "buisness". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "businesses", "busiest", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees" The correct English form is business, spelled B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.
  2. 2
    A person's occupation, work, or trade.
  3. 3
    Commercial, industrial, or professional activity.
  4. 4
    The volume or amount of commercial trade.
  5. 5
    One's dealings; patronage.
  6. 6
    Private commercial interests taken collectively.
  7. 7
    The management of commercial enterprises, or the study of such management.
  8. 8
    A particular situation or activity.
  9. 9
    Any activity or objective needing to be dealt with; especially, one of a financial or legal matter.
  10. 10
    Something involving one personally.
  11. 11
    Matters that come before a body for deliberation or action.
  12. 12
    Business class, the class of seating provided by airlines between first class and coach.
  13. 13
    Ellipsis of stage business (“aspect of acting”).
  14. 14
    Hollywood, the entertainment industry.
  15. 15
    Prostitution.
  16. 16
    The collective noun for a group of ferrets.
  17. 17
    Something very good; top quality.
  18. 18
    The act of defecation, or the excrement itself, particularly that of a non-human animal.
  19. 19
    Disruptive shenanigans.
  20. 20
    Matters.

Etymology

From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"

This word in other languages

empresa(Español)entreprise(Français)Geschäft(Deutsch)negócio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbusiness,bsuiness,buisness,busienss,busines,businness,businses,busniess,bussiness,ubsiness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of business - 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.

bbusiness1bsuiness2buisness2busienss2busines1businness1businses2busniess2
Edit distance from "business"

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 "business"?
"business" is spelled B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪz.nɪs/.
What does "business" mean?
As a noun, "business" means: A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.
What words are commonly confused with "business"?
"business" is commonly confused with "businesses", "busiest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "business"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "business" is /ˈbɪz.nɪs/. 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 "business"?
From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees" 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 “business”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɪz.nɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “businesses” - see the side-by-side comparison. business vs businesses
  • 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