busybody

noun

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

The verdict

“busybody” is uncommon English (frequency #81,194 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,194
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who interferes with others; one who is nosy, intrusive or meddlesome.

Corpus desk

Index EN-busybody · busybody · English

busybody · rank #81,194 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,194
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bushmaster

Nearest frequency peer: bushmaster (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “busybody”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “busybody” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for busybody
PropertyValue
Headwordbusybody
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#81,194
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “busybody” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).busybodyfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “bushmaster” (#81,192), “butyrate” (#81,196), “bursitis” (#81,191). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “busybody” is #81,194. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

busybody is uncommon English at frequency #81,194 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for busybody in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From busy + body. The correct English form is busybody, spelled B-U-S-Y-B-O-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who interferes with others; one who is nosy, intrusive or meddlesome.
  2. 2
    A device consisting of three mirrors that, when attached to the wall of a house, allows an occupant to see who is at the front door without a direct line of sight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how busybody appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Se that none of you ſuffre as a murtherer / or as a thefe / or an evyll doar / or as a buſybody in wother mens matters.
  2. Candidly speaking, I thought her a little busy-body; but her father, blind like other parents, seemed perfectly content to let her wait on him, and even wonderfully soothed by her offices.

Etymology

From busy + body.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "busybody"?
"busybody" is spelled B-U-S-Y-B-O-D-Y.
What does "busybody" mean?
As a noun, "busybody" means: Someone who interferes with others; one who is nosy, intrusive or meddlesome.
What is the origin of the word "busybody"?
From busy + body. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "busybody", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list