by the name of

prep_phrase

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

"by-the-name-of" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“by the name of” 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
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having a certain name; called.

Key facts for by the name of
PropertyValue
Headwordby the name of
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrep_phrase
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “by the name of” sits in English frequency

by the name 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for by the name of is 14 letters long, classified as a prep_phrase. 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: "Having a certain name; called.".

No misspelling variants are generated for by the name of in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is by the name of, spelled B-Y- -T-H-E- -N-A-M-E- -O-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a certain name; called.

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 the name of"?
"by the name of" is spelled B-Y- -T-H-E- -N-A-M-E- -O-F.
What does "by the name of" mean?
As a prep_phrase, "by the name of" means: Having a certain name; called.
What language does "by the name of" come from?
"by the name of" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 the name of”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-Y- -T-H-E- -N-A-M-E- -O-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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