Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

but hey

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.11 in modern English

Syllables: but hey
IPA

14

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Used to show that the thing just referred to is not ideal or does not support the argument, but that the situation cannot be improved upon, or the speaker is unwilling to try.

Example Sentences

"Streaming a movie prevents any but the most dedicated and well-equipped hacker from making a digital copy (pointing a camera at the screen still works, but hey)."
"I am pretty sure it's another computer glitch, but hey, it's not my fault and it's perfectly legal."
"By that time they had navigated about 120 miles of the Green River, almost twice their planned run for the day—but hey, time flies when you're having fun."

Questions

What does but hey mean?: Used to show that the thing just referred to is not ideal or does not support the argument, but that the situation cannot be improved upon, or the speaker is unwilling to try.

How to pronounce but hey

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “but hey”.
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 “but hey”.
Repeat and practice — Say “but hey” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.