followed by

conj

"followed-by" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - And then, and after that.

Key facts for followed by
PropertyValue
Headwordfollowed by
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechConjunction
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “followed by” sits in English frequency

followed by 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 followed by is 11 letters long, classified as a conjunction. 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: "And then, and after that.".

followed by has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the passive voice of follow, and still frequently used as such. The correct English form is followed by, spelled F-O-L-L-O-W-E-D- -B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    And then, and after that.

Etymology

From the passive voice of follow, and still frequently used as such.

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 "followed by"?
"followed by" is spelled F-O-L-L-O-W-E-D- -B-Y.
What does "followed by" mean?
As a conjunction, "followed by" means: And then, and after that.
What is the origin of the word "followed by"?
From the passive voice of follow, and still frequently used as such. 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 “followed by”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-L-L-O-W-E-D- -B-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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