by

/baɪ/

//baɪ// prep

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

"by" is a 2-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“by” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #24 in English word frequency and used as a preposition.

#24
frequency rank, English
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Near or next to.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

by vs bye
67% similar
by vs BYU
0% similar
by vs byte
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for by
PropertyValue
Headwordby
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/baɪ/
Letters2
Frequency rank#24
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “by” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). by lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for by is 2 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /baɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #24 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for by in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bye", "BYU", "byte", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”… The correct English form is by, spelled B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Near or next to.
  2. 2
    From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past.
  3. 3
    Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval).
  4. 4
    Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
  5. 5
    Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
  6. 6
    Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
  7. 7
    Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.
  8. 8
    Indicates a means of achieving something: Involving/using the means of.
  9. 9
    Indicates an authority according to which something is done.
  10. 10
    Indicates an authority according to which something is done.
  11. 11
    Indicates a means of classification or organisation.
  12. 12
    Indicates the amount of change, difference or discrepancy
  13. 13
    In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another.
  14. 14
    [with the] Acted on in units of the specified size or measure. (Sometimes hyperbolically)
  15. 15
    Per; with or in proportion to each.
  16. 16
    Indicates a referenced source: According to.
  17. 17
    Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something.
  18. 18
    multiplied by or (chiefly South Asia) divided by
  19. 19
    Designates a horse's sire (“male parent”).
  20. 20
    At; with; among.
  21. 21
    in a windward direction, sailing near to the direction from which the wind is blowing

Etymology

From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).

This word in other languages

por(Español)à côté de(Français)bei(Deutsch)perto(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "by"?
"by" is spelled B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /baɪ/.
What does "by" mean?
As a preposition, "by" means: Near or next to.
What words are commonly confused with "by"?
"by" is commonly confused with "bye", "BYU", "byte". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "by"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "by" is /baɪ/. 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"?
From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at;... 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”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /baɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bye” - see the side-by-side comparison. by vs bye
  • 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