How to Use ‘By and By’ vs. ‘By the By’ Correctly

‘By and by’ and ‘by the by’ look similar, but they have different meanings. ‘By and by’ means ‘after a while or eventually,’ whereas ‘by the by’ means ‘by the way’ or ‘incidentally.’

However, neither expression is incorrect, but knowing when each one fits is the key here.

For instance, you can use ‘by and by’ to describe that a student is gradually becoming more confident with writing. You can use ‘by the by’ to introduce an additional point during a discussion about that student’s essay.

So, here’s how to distinguish these two expressions and use them correctly.

What Does ‘By and by’ Mean?

‘By and by’ is an idiomatic expression that means ‘after a while,’ ‘eventually,’ or ‘soon.’ So, it refers to something that happens after some time, without specifying an exact time or deadline.

To better understand these idiomatic expressions, consider these by and by examples:

After several weeks of practicing difficult guitar chords, Maya could change between them smoothly by and by.

The editor initially struggled to organize the research notes, but the main argument became clearer by and by.

The repair team replaced the damaged wiring, and by and by, the classroom lights came back on.

As is obvious, each example describes something that happens after a period of time. But ‘by and by’ sounds old-fashioned in modern English. For this reason, ‘after a while,’ ‘before long,’ or ‘eventually’ often sound more natural in contemporary writing.

What Does ‘By the by’ Mean?

‘By the by’ means ‘by the way’ or ‘incidentally.’ So, it introduces an additional point or remark that comes up while discussing something else. And here are some by the by examples:

By the by, have you added page numbers to the final draft of your research paper?

We have finished discussing the presentation slides. By the by, did the instructor confirm the submission deadline?

Your essay’s argument is convincing. By the by, the second paragraph needs a citation for the statistic you included.

As you can see, in each sentence, the speaker adds a point rather than referring to something that happens later.

However, ‘by the by’ can also describe something incidental or of secondary importance. Here’s how:

“The exact shade of blue on the presentation slides is by the by; the important thing is that the data are accurate.”

Here, the color is less important than the accuracy of the data. But this sort of usage of ‘by the by’ has become old-fashioned. And for this reason, ‘by the way’ is generally more natural when introducing an additional remark in modern conversation.

By and by vs. by the by: What’s the Difference?

The difference between ‘by and by’ and ‘by the by’ comes down to their meanings and functions. 

Here is a table that will help you remember this difference in a better way:

Express Meaning	Meaning	When to Use It	Example
By and by	After a while; eventually	To describe something happening later	The new routine will feel easier by and by.
By the by	By the way; incidentally	To introduce an additional remark	By the by, have you checked the references?

To always use the right variation, simply remember the following rule:

By and by = time. Something that happens after a while.

By the by = an aside. You introduce an additional remark or mention something secondary.

So, these expressions aren’t interchangeable. However, if you want to check your choice, simply replace the phrase with its intended meaning.

If you mean ‘after a while,’ use ‘by and by.’ If you mean ‘by the way,’ use ‘by the by.’

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is choosing one expression when you intend the meaning of the other.

When Introducing an Additional Question

Better: “By the by, did you remember to email the professor?”

Less Natural: “By and by, did you remember to email the professor?”

Here, the speaker is introducing an additional question, instead of describing a future event. So, the ‘by the by’ variation matches the intended meaning, but ‘by the way’ sounds more natural in everyday English.

When Referring to Something That Will Happen Later

Better: “I haven’t finished the report yet, but I’ll send it by and by.”

Less Suitable: “I haven’t finished the report yet, but I’ll send it by the by.”

Here, the intended meaning is that the report will be sent after some time, so ‘by and by’ fits well. However, in modern writing, ‘eventually’ or ‘when it’s ready’ may be clearer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are by the way and by the by the same? | Is by the by the same as by the way?

Yes. Both expressions mean ‘incidentally’ or ‘introduce an additional point in a conversation.’ However, ‘by the way’ is much more common in modern English, while ‘by the by’ sounds old-fashioned.

What does ‘by by by by’ mean?

‘By by by by’ has no established meaning as a standard English expression. So, if you’ve encountered it in an online post, sentence, or song, its meaning depends on the context—for instance, it may be a misheard phrase such as ‘by and by’, a repetition of the word by, or a typo.

What is another way to say ‘by and by’?

‘After a while,’ ‘eventually,’ or ‘soon’ are some other ways to say ‘by and by’.

Which is correct: ‘by the by’ or ‘by the bye’?

Both ‘by the by’ and ‘by the bye’ are recognized variants of the expression meaning ‘by the way’ or ‘incidentally.’ However, ‘by the by’ is the spelling used for the primary expression discussed here, in this blog post. But neither should be confused with ‘by and by,’ which means after a while or eventually.