Yes. BY is a valid word.
BY is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.
BY is in the NASPA Word List 2023 (NWL2023), the North American list that Tileside uses for challenges and the one used in club and tournament play.
About BY
As a noun, a BY is a pass in certain card games, which is why BYS is valid. BY is one of only four two-letter homes for the Y that end in it: AY, BY, MY and OY.
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BY scores 7 points
Before any bonus squares: B 3 + Y 4 = 7. On a double-word square that's 14, on a triple-word 21, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.
Example: BY as the first play
Later in the game, put the Y on a 3L square and BY is worth 15 before any word bonus.
Hooks: one tile makes a new word
Longer words from BY
Other forms of BY (1):
- BYSform of BY: a pass in certain card games
Words that start with BY:
- BYESform of BYE: an automatic advance to the next round in a tournament without playing an opponent
- BYREa barn for cows
- BYRLto birle
- BYTEa sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information
- BYLAWa rule adopted by an organization in order to regulate its own affairs and the behavior of its members
- BYRESform of BYRE: a barn for cows
- BYRLS
- BYSSIform of BYSSUS: tuft of strong filaments by which e.g. a mussel makes itself fast to a fixed surface
Change one tile
Same letters, other words
Memory tip
BY means near or beside, as in “stand by me”. It holds a Y, and BYE and BYS hook off the end.
On these lists
Other two-letter words starting with B
Check words at the table, free
Tileside keeps score, checks words like this one during a challenge, tracks the tiles left in the bag and times turns. It runs in your phone's browser with no account and works offline.
Tileside checks words against the North American list, the NASPA Word List 2023. Your group's chosen dictionary always wins. Playing the international (Collins) list? Turn on its 20 extra two-letter words in Setup.
Word list: NASPA Word List 2023, used under license. NASPA Word List 2023 Edition © NASPA 2023. The copy included in this app is licensed for personal use. You may not use it for any commercial purposes.
Works with the Scrabble board game, played at the table. Tileside is an independent product, not affiliated with or endorsed by the makers of Scrabble.