enby

/ˈɛnbi/

//ˈɛnbi// noun

"enby" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“enby” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pronunciation spelling of NB (“a non-binary person; a person whose gender identity is not strictly female or male; one who is outside of the gender binary”).

Key facts for enby
PropertyValue
Headwordenby
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛnbi/
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “enby” sits in English frequency

enby falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for enby is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛnbi/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Pronunciation spelling of NB (“a non-binary person; a person whose gender identity is not strictly female or male; one who is outside of the gender binary”).".

No misspelling variants are generated for enby in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is a pronunciation spelling of NB, an initialism of non-binary. The word was coined by the Tumblr user “revolutionator” in 2013 as “an nb equivalent to words like boys and girls”: see the quotation. The adjective is derived from the noun. The correct English form is enby, spelled E-N-B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pronunciation spelling of NB (“a non-binary person; a person whose gender identity is not strictly female or male; one who is outside of the gender binary”).

Etymology

The noun is a pronunciation spelling of NB, an initialism of non-binary. The word was coined by the Tumblr user “revolutionator” in 2013 as “an nb equivalent to words like boys and girls”: see the quotation. The adjective is derived from the noun.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "enby"?
"enby" is spelled E-N-B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛnbi/.
What does "enby" mean?
As a noun, "enby" means: Pronunciation spelling of NB (“a non-binary person; a person whose gender identity is not strictly female or male; one who is outside of the gender binary”).
How do you pronounce "enby"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enby" is /ˈɛnbi/. 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 "enby"?
The noun is a pronunciation spelling of NB, an initialism of non-binary. The word was coined by the Tumblr user “revolutionator” in 2013 as “an nb equivalent to words like boys and girls”: see the quotation. The adjective is derived from the noun. 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 “enby”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-N-B-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɛnbi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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