by no means
/baɪ nəʊ ˈmiːnz/
"by-no-means" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“by no means” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a prep_phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Certainly not; definitely not; not at all.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | by no means |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prep_phrase |
| IPA | /baɪ nəʊ ˈmiːnz/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “by no means” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for by no means is 11 letters long, classified as a prep_phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /baɪ nəʊ ˈmiːnz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Certainly not; definitely not; not at all.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for by no means, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From by + no + means (“condition or instrument to achieve a result”). The correct English form is by no means, spelled B-Y- -N-O- -M-E-A-N-S.
Definition
- 1Certainly not; definitely not; not at all.
Etymology
From by + no + means (“condition or instrument to achieve a result”).
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 no means"?
What does "by no means" mean?
How do you pronounce "by no means"?
What is the origin of the word "by no means"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “by no means”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-Y- -N-O- -M-E-A-N-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /baɪ nəʊ ˈmiːnz/ (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.