by-election
noun
by-election is spelled B-Y-E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N: 10 letters. As a noun, by-election means “An election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between general elections” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of by-election is by-elections.
How many letters and syllables are in by-election?
| Letters | 10: B-Y-E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce by-election?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-by-election.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with by-election
Also written: bye-election, byelection (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of by-election
- by-elections plural
- bye-election
- byelection
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does by-election mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between general elections.
Coordinate term: general election
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
By-election in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense election to fill a vacant political office:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | élection partielle |
| German | Ersatzwahl, Nachwahl |
| Portuguese | eleição suplementar |
| Spanish | elección parcial |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does by-election come from?
From by- (“side, secondary, ancillary”) + election.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).