Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

back alley

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.87 in modern English

Syllables: back- al-ley
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An alleyway that runs behind a row of houses, or between rows of houses.

noun

The anus.

Slang

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: bylane"
"Apocalypse also happens to be a Fagin figure, shuffling around the back alleys of Cairo, where he makes the weather-controlling pickpocket Storm (Alexandra Shipp) his first follower by offering her baubles."
"Nobody goes up my back alley without a rubber on and I don't do heroin, so what's the worry?"
"RALPH: This dress is not made for a big boy. It's going right up the back alley there."

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

back alleys (plural)

Phrases

back-alley

Frequently Paired Words

back street back road bystreet byroad

Synonyms

back lane backway bylane

Questions

What does back alley mean?: An alleyway that runs behind a row of houses, or between rows of houses.

How to pronounce back alley

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “back alley”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “back alley”.
Repeat and practice — Say “back alley” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.