Writing Tip 193: “Bye” vs. “By” vs. “Buy”

Not on a bye, this guy’s saying “buh-bye” as he runs right by. Maybe he’ll dance to NSYNC in his head when he does his touchdown dance before he buys tickets to Disney World.

Let’s go beyond the double-negative in NSYNC’s lyrics about “it ain’t no lie,” and talk about “bye,” “by” and “buy.”

Remember:

“Bye,” short for “good-bye,” is a word used when separating from someone. For example, NSYNC said “bye” multiple times for emphasis to prove that they really were walking away from someone. A “bye” is also a situation where a single competitor or a team is able to move forward while skipping a game that others have to play. For example, the quarterback on my fantasy football team had a bye, so I scrambled to find a replacement.
“By” is a preposition commonly referring to position, specifically connected with proximity; timing, in a way similar to “before”; and dimensions, as in a two by four plank or grid.
To “buy” is to purchase or to believe. For example, you could buy tickets or buy into the boy-band craze.

NSYNC did perform along with Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, and Nelly at the 2001 Superbowl Halftime show in which no one had a bye, but I bet the admission for that night was pretty pricey to buy. And I’m not going to talk about Justin Timberlake’s other Superbowl appearance. Personally, I wish he had a bye for that one.

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