Learn about the difference between the homophones: bye, buy and by

Definitions

bye

Bye is an informal way of saying goodbye or farewell to someone.

Example

She said bye and left the room.

Example

I'll talk to you later, bye!

buy

Buy is a verb that means to obtain something in exchange for payment.

Example

I need to buy some groceries.

Example

He wants to buy a new car.

by

By is a preposition that indicates the agent performing an action or the means of achieving something.

Example

The book was written by a famous author.

Example

He won the race by running faster than everyone else.

Tips To Remember the Differences

Here are a few tips to easily distinguish the difference between these words while keeping in mind the description we've provided:

To remember the difference between these homophones, you could associate bye with leaving or saying goodbye, buy with purchasing or obtaining something, and by with indicating the agent or means of achieving something.