# Selby

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈsɛlbi/ · frequency rank #31,754

## Definitions
1. A town and civil parish with a town council in North Yorkshire, England, historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire (OS grid ref SE6132).
2. A former local government district in North Yorkshire headquartered in the town, formed in 1974 and abolished in 2023 without replacement.
3. A village in the town of Greater Napanee, Ontario, Canada.
4. An unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, California, United States.
5. A township in Bureau County, Illinois, United States.
6. A small city, the county seat of Walworth County, South Dakota, United States.
7. A suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.
8. A suburb of Melbourne in the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Victoria, Australia.
9. A habitational surname from Old Norse.
10. A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

## Etymology
From Old Norse selja (“willow, sallow”) + býr (“settlement, farm”).

## Easily confused with
- **sly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-sly)
- **self** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-self)
- **sell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-sell)
- **sexy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-sexy)
- **slay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-slay)
- **Serb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-serb)
- **silly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-silly)
- **sells** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-sells)
- **silky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-silky)
- **Selma** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-selma)
- **sully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-sully)
- **Shelby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-shelby)
- **shelly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-shelly)
- **smelly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/selby-vs-smelly)
- **Seb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seb-vs-selby)
- **Sel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sel-vs-selby)
- **sally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sally-vs-selby)
- **salty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/salty-vs-selby)
- **seedy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-selby)
- **Seeley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seeley-vs-selby)

## Common misspellings (8)
`eslby`, `sebly`, `selbby`, `selbyy`, `sellby`, `selyb`, `sleby`, `sselby`

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