Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell by

What it means: Near or next to.

In a sentence: The cat sat by the window. ▶

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as bye or buy.

Sounds like, but is not: buy, bye. Same sound, different spelling and meaning.

Same family: bystander, bypass, byproduct, nearby, bygone. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “By” comes from Old English “bi,” meaning ‘near’ or ‘around.’ Over time, one of its special uses in English became the phrase “set by,” meaning to save or keep something in reserve for the future.

Patterns it uses: Change y to i?

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

where · whose · new · blue · read · flower · sell · there

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