by virtue of
/baɪ ˈvɜːtʃuː ɒv/
"by-virtue-of" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“by virtue 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
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - (originally) By the authority or power of; (now) because of; on the grounds of; by reason of.
Corpus desk
Index EN-by-virtue-of · by virtue of · English
by virtue of · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | by virtue of |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Preposition |
| IPA | /baɪ ˈvɜːtʃuː ɒv/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “by virtue of” in English
Rare enough to double-check
by virtue of is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as apreposition, transcribed /baɪ ˈvɜːtʃuː ɒv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "(originally) By the authority or power of; (now) because of; on the grounds of; by reason of.".
by virtue of has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Modification of Middle English in vertu of, a calque of Anglo-Norman par vertu de or Middle French par la vertu de (“by the authority of”); from Old French vertu (“goodness; honour; valour; virtue”) (whence English virtue (“(obsolete) inherent power of a go… The correct English form is by virtue of, spelled B-Y- -V-I-R-T-U-E- -O-F.
Definition
- 1(originally) By the authority or power of; (now) because of; on the grounds of; by reason of.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how by virtue of appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in all true chriſten people, aloue to continue in this vnitie, and afeare to be caſte out of the ſame, and it worketh in them that be ſinners and repentant, great comforte, and conſolacion, to obteine remiſſion of ſinne, by vertue of Chriſtes paſſion, and adminiſtracion of his ſacramentes at the miniſter…
But in the high Court of Parliament, every Man by virtue of the King's Authority, by Writ under the Great Seal, hath a judicial Place; and ſo conſequently the killing of every of them had been a ſeveral Treaſon, and Crimen læſæ Majeſtatis.
Etymology
Modification of Middle English in vertu of, a calque of Anglo-Norman par vertu de or Middle French par la vertu de (“by the authority of”); from Old French vertu (“goodness; honour; valour; virtue”) (whence English virtue (“(obsolete) inherent power of a god or other supernatural being; inherent power or efficacy of something”)).
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.