bygone
by·gone/ˈbaɪɡɔn/adjective, noun
bygone is spelled B-Y-G-O-N-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (by·gone). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, bygone means “Having been or happened in the distant past” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bygone?
| Letters | 6: B-Y-G-O-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: by·gone |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th 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 bygone?
Bygone appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th 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).
How do you pronounce bygone?
- UK /ˈbaɪɡɒn/
- UK /-ɡɔːn/
- US /ˈbaɪɡɔn/
Bygone has 2 syllables, split by·gone in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bygone.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with bygone
Also written: by-gone (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of bygone
- bygones plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bygone mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having been or happened in the distant past.
noun
- 1
An event that happened in the past.
- 2
An object from the past; a relic, antique, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bygone in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 bygone come from?
From by (adverb) + gone. See go by.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).