basesvsbassetWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“bases” and “basset” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,295
“bases” frequency rank
#45,804
“basset” frequency rank
51099
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bases basset
Definition plural of base The edge of a geological stratum at the surface of the ground; the outcrop.

Where the eye mixes bases and basset

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. bases runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against basset's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
bases
6 ch
basset

Look-alike desk: bases vs basset

A purely visual mix-up. bases (/ˈbeɪsɪz/) and basset (/ˈbæsɪt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51099, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bases is recorded at frequency rank #5,295, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈbeɪsɪz/. basset is at rank #45,804, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbæsɪt/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 51099, this pair ranks #168,393 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bases vs basset

Shared letters: abes. Private to "bases": -. Private to "basset": t.

"bases" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "basset" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bases ← abses · baess · basess · basses · bbases · bsaes
  • basset ← absset · basest · baset · basste · bbasset · bsaset

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "bases" and "basset" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/ˈbeɪsɪz/ versus /ˈbæsɪt/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bases" or "basset"?
"bases" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,295 in our English list, against #45,804 for "basset". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bases" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "basset" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #168,393 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bases" and "basset" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "basset vs bast". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #168,393 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list