bycatch
noun, verb
bycatch is spelled B-Y-C-A-T-C-H: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 72,332nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bycatch means “Any fish (or other creatures) that are not targeted as a catch but are unintentionally caught, and often discarded back into the sea” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bycatch is bycatches.
How many letters and syllables are in bycatch?
| Letters | 7: B-Y-C-A-T-C-H |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 72,332nd most frequent word form |
| 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 common is bycatch?
Bycatch appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 72,332nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Words people confuse with bycatch
Also written: by-catch (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of bycatch
- bycatches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- by-catch
- bycatching participle, present
- bycaught participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bycatch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any fish (or other creatures) that are not targeted as a catch but are unintentionally caught, and often discarded back into the sea.
- 2
Any person, animal, or thing, captured unintentionally on camera or film.
verb
- 1
To catch unintentionally while fishing for something else.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bycatch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense unintended catch:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prise accessoire, capture accessoire |
| German | Beifang |
| Portuguese | captura acessória |
| Spanish | captura accesoria |
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 bycatch come from?
From by- + catch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).