Behind

How to spell behind

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce behind

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does behind mean?

1. prepositionAt or towards the back of someone or something, or lagging in progress or time.

Behind in a sentence

• The keys had slipped down behind the sofa cushions.

• The whole project fell behind schedule after the delay.

Where does behind come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word comes from the Old English behindan, a compound built from the prefix be-, meaning 'by' or 'at', and hindan, meaning 'from behind' or 'at the rear'. The hind element is the same one preserved in 'hind legs' and 'hindmost', and it relates to a family of Germanic words for what lies to the rear. From the start the word marked position at the back of something, and over the centuries it broadened to cover lagging in time ('behind schedule') and remaining after departure ('left behind'). The spelling stayed close to its Old English shape, so the only real trap is hearing the unstressed first syllable and writing it as 'behynd' or 'behine'; remembering the visible 'hind' inside it keeps the ending right.

How the word is built

• be- (by, intensive prefix from Old English)
• hind (rear, back)