by the way
Casual topic shift
By the way introduces a remark that's tangential to the main conversation—an aside, afterthought, or change of subject: By the way, I ran into your sister yesterday.
It signals that what follows isn't the main point but something the speaker wants to mention while they have the chance.
Often abbreviated BTW in text messages.
- incidentallyIntroducing a tangent
- parentheticallyAs an inserted aside
- tangentiallyIn a loosely related way
- asideBrief theatrical digression
- en passantPawn takes adjacent pawn
offhand · sidebar · speaking of · come to think of it · as an aside · now that you mention it · just saying · guess what · hey · oh · FYI · passingly · you know · remark · conversationally · by chance · digression · listen
- filler phrasesum, uh, like, you know, I mean
- stock phrasesstock phrase, set phrase, cliche, catchphrase, filler phrase
- topic changerssegue, redirect, smooth transition, speaking of, anyway
- phrasesnoun phrases, noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, prepositional phrases
- interjectionsah, hey, aha, sheesh, oh
- slangslang, jargon, lingo, argot, cant
by the wayon that note
Transitional phrase linking topics
speaking of which · relatedly · on the subject of · to the point · pertinently
by the wayimportantly
With great consequence
crucially · most importantly · essentially · significantly · critically