badass
bad·ass/ˈbædˌæs/noun, adjective
badass is spelled B-A-D-A-S-S: 6 letters and 2 syllables (bad·ass). It appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, badass means “A belligerent or mean person; a person with an unpleasantly extreme appearance, attitudes, or behavior” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of badass is badasses.
How many letters and syllables are in badass?
| Letters | 6: B-A-D-A-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: bad·ass |
| In writing | 5.1 times per million words; the 11,015th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is badass?
Badass appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce badass?
- UK /ˈbædæs/
- US /ˈbædˌæs/
- /bædˈæs/
Badass has 2 syllables, split bad·ass in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-badass.flac, En-au-badass.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of badass
- badasses plural
- bad-ass
- bad ass
- bad-arse
- badarse
- bad arse
- more badass comparative
- most badass superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does badass mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
USslangA belligerent or mean person; a person with an unpleasantly extreme appearance, attitudes, or behavior.
Don’t mess with that guy, he’s a real badass.
- 2
USslangA person considered impressive due to courage, skill, daring, audacity, and/or toughness.
adjective
- 1
USslangBelligerent and troublesome.
- 2
USslangHaving an extreme appearance, attitude, or behavior that is considered admirable.
That tough guy looks badass.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate badass?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of badass: BA.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Badass in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | connard, connasse , tête, warrior, dur à cuire |
| Spanish | choro, malote, chulo, capo, padrote, gánster |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does badass come from?
From bad + ass (“buttocks; one's self or person”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).