by dint of

/baɪ ˈdɪnt ɒv/

//baɪ ˈdɪnt ɒv// prep

"by-dint-of" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“by dint of” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a preposition. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - By force of; by means of.

Key facts for by dint of
PropertyValue
Headwordby dint of
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/baɪ ˈdɪnt ɒv/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “by dint of” sits in English frequency

by dint of falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

by dint of is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as apreposition, transcribed /baɪ ˈdɪnt ɒv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for by dint of, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From by + dint (“force, power”) + of. The correct English form is by dint of, spelled B-Y- -D-I-N-T- -O-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    By force of; by means of.
  2. 2
    Because of; by reason of.

Etymology

From by + dint (“force, power”) + of.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "by dint of"?
"by dint of" is spelled B-Y- -D-I-N-T- -O-F. The IPA pronunciation is /baɪ ˈdɪnt ɒv/.
What does "by dint of" mean?
As a preposition, "by dint of" means: By force of; by means of.
How do you pronounce "by dint of"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "by dint of" is /baɪ ˈdɪnt ɒv/. 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 "by dint of"?
From by + dint (“force, power”) + of. 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 “by dint of”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-Y- -D-I-N-T- -O-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /baɪ ˈdɪnt ɒv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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