but

\byt\

/\byt\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“but” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #423 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#423
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Objectif, cible.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

but vs by
33% similar
but vs BV
0% similar
but vs BX
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for but
PropertyValue
Headwordbut
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\byt\
Letters3
Frequency rank#423
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “but” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). but lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for but is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \byt\. Corpus data places it at rank #423 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

but has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "BV", "BX", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is but, spelled B-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Objectif, cible.
  2. 2
    Cage dans laquelle on doit mettre la balle pour marquer.
  3. 3
    Point marqué en envoyant la balle dans la cible.
  4. 4
    Point que l’on vise.
  5. 5
    Petite boule servant de cible dans différents jeux de boules, lancée en début de mène.
  6. 6
    Base, espace matérialisé au sol par une plaque carrée, soit à la fin du tour de l’espace de jeu, soit à chacun de ses angles (espace à contourner de forme carrée).
  7. 7
    Abandon d’une ascension avant d’avoir atteint la destination prévue.

Synonyms

bouchoncochonnetpetit

This word in other languages

goal(English)objetivo(Español)Ziel(Deutsch)alvo(Português)

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "but"?
"but" is spelled B-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is \byt\.
What does "but" mean?
As a noun, "but" means: Objectif, cible.
What words are commonly confused with "but"?
"but" is commonly confused with "by", "BV", "BX". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "but"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "but" is \byt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "but" come from?
"but" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “but”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \byt\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “by” - see the side-by-side comparison. but vs by
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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