# bye

> English word · Noun · IPA /baɪ/ · frequency rank #3,674

## Definitions
1. The position of a person or team in a tournament or competition who draws no opponent in a particular round so advances to the next round unopposed, or is awarded points for a win in a league table; also the phantom opponent of such a person or team.
2. An extra scored when the batsmen take runs after the ball has passed the striker without hitting either the bat or the batsman.
3. A thing not directly aimed at; a secondary or subsidiary object, course, path, undertaking, issue, etc.
4. An unspecified way or place.
5. A pass.

## Etymology
Variant form of by, from Old English bī (“being near”).

## Easily confused with
- **BYU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bye-vs-byu)
- **byte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bye-vs-byte)
- **Byrne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bye-vs-byrne)
- **bytes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bye-vs-bytes)
- **b** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/b-vs-bye)
- **be** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/be-vs-bye)
- **by** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/by-vs-bye)
- **BC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bc-vs-bye)
- **ba** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ba-vs-bye)
- **bi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bi-vs-bye)
- **BS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bs-vs-bye)
- **bo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bo-vs-bye)
- **br** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/br-vs-bye)
- **Bt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bt-vs-bye)
- **BB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bb-vs-bye)
- **BP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bp-vs-bye)
- **bf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bf-vs-bye)
- **bd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bd-vs-bye)
- **BL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bl-vs-bye)
- **BM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bm-vs-bye)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bye