busy

/ˈbɪz.i/

//ˈbɪz.i// adj

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

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

The verdict

“busy” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,812 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,812
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

busy vs by
50% similar
busy vs but
50% similar
busy vs buy
75% similar

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

Key facts for busy
PropertyValue
Headwordbusy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbɪz.i/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,812
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “busy” 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). busy 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 busy is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɪz.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,812 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for busy, with forms such as "bbusy", "bsuy", and "bussy". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "but", "buy", 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 bisy, busie, from Old English bisiġ (“busy, occupied, diligent”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisīg (“diligent; zealous; busy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian biesich (“active, diligent, hard-working, industrious”), Dutch bezig (“busy”), … The correct English form is busy, spelled B-U-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.
  2. 2
    Engaged with or preoccupied by an activity or person.
  3. 3
    Having much work to do; having much to get done.
  4. 4
    Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate.
  5. 5
    Officious; meddling.

Etymology

From Middle English bisy, busie, from Old English bisiġ (“busy, occupied, diligent”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisīg (“diligent; zealous; busy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian biesich (“active, diligent, hard-working, industrious”), Dutch bezig (“busy”), Low German besig (“busy”). The spelling with ⟨u⟩ represents the pronunciation of the West Midland and Southern dialects while the Modern English pronunciation with /ɪ/ is from the dialects of the East Midlands.

Synonyms

swamped

This word in other languages

ocupado(Español)occupé(Français)beschäftigt(Deutsch)ocupado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbusy,bsuy,bussy,busyy,ubsy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbusy1bsuy2bussy1busyy1ubsy2
Edit distance from "busy"

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 "busy"?
"busy" is spelled B-U-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪz.i/.
What does "busy" mean?
As an adjective, "busy" means: Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.
What words are commonly confused with "busy"?
"busy" is commonly confused with "by", "but", "buy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "busy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "busy" is /ˈbɪz.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 "busy"?
From Middle English bisy, busie, from Old English bisiġ (“busy, occupied, diligent”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisīg (“diligent; zealous; busy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian biesich (“active, diligent, hard-working, industrious”), Dutch bezig ... 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 “busy”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-U-S-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɪz.i/ (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. busy 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