Is BY a Scrabble word?
Yes. BY is a valid Scrabble word in both tournament lists, NWL2023 and Collins, and in ENABLE. It scores 7 points in Scrabble and 7 in Words With Friends.
Meaning Near or next to.
Preposition 4 meanings
Near or next to.
“The mailbox is by the bus stop.”
From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past.
“The stream runs by our back door.”
Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval); before.
“Be back by ten o'clock!”
After a given amount of time has elapsed or a given event has occurred.
“By February, we were all sick of the cold.”
Adverb 4 meanings
Along a path which runs past someone or something.
“I watched the parade as it passed by.”
In the vicinity, near.
“There was a shepherd close by.”
To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.
“I'll stop by on my way home from work.”
Aside, away.
“The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.”
Adjective 2 meanings
Out of the way, off to one side.
“a by path; a by room”
Subsidiary, incidental.
“by catch; a by issue”
Etymology
From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi.
Similar and opposite words
BY at a glance
BY has 2 letters and scores 7 points in Scrabble (B 3 + Y 4) and 7 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #24 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins (older SOWPODS edition).
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