nearby
/ˌnɪə(ɹ)ˈbaɪ/
"nearby" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nearby” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,745. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #2,745
- frequency rank, English
- 24,391
- “N” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Adjacent, near, close by.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nearby |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌnɪə(ɹ)ˈbaɪ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #2,745 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nearby” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around nearby (IPA /ˌnɪə(ɹ)ˈbaɪ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,745 among 24,391 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Adjacent, near, close by.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nearby, with forms such as "enarby", "naerby", and "neabry". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "nerdy", "nears", "Newry", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ner-bi, neer by, equivalent to near + by. The correct English form is nearby, spelled N-E-A-R-B-Y.
Definition
- 1Adjacent, near, close by.
Etymology
From Middle English ner-bi, neer by, equivalent to near + by.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- enarby
- naerby
- neabry
- nearbby
- nearbyy
- nearrby
- nearyb
- neraby
- nnearby
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nearby - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "nearby"?
What does "nearby" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “nearby”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-E-A-R-B-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌnɪə(ɹ)ˈbaɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “nerdy” - see the side-by-side comparison. nearby vs nerdy
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
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.