base

/beɪs/

//beɪs// noun

"base" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“base” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #942 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#942
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something from which other things extend; a foundation.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

base vs be
50% similar
base vs BS
0% similar
base vs bus
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for base
PropertyValue
Headwordbase
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/beɪs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#942
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “base” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). base lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for base is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /beɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #942 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 37 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for base, with forms such as "abse", "baes", and "basse". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "be", "BS", "bus", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor. Latin basis Old French basebor. Middle English base English base From Middle English base, bas, baas, f… The correct English form is base, spelled B-A-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
  2. 2
    Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
  3. 3
    The starting point of a logical deduction or thought; basis.
  4. 4
    A site, structure, or both, usually durable and often permanent, for housing military personnel and materiel.
  5. 5
    The place where decisions for an organization are made; headquarters.
  6. 6
    A basic but essential component or ingredient.
  7. 7
    A substance used as a mordant in dyeing.
  8. 8
    Foundation: a cosmetic cream to make the face appear uniform.
  9. 9
    Any of a class of generally water-soluble compounds that turn red litmus blue and react with acids to form salts.
  10. 10
    Important areas in games and sports.
  11. 11
    Important areas in games and sports.
  12. 12
    The lowermost part of a column, between the shaft and the pedestal or pavement.
  13. 13
    A nucleotide's nucleobase in the context of a DNA or RNA biopolymer.
  14. 14
    The end of a leaf, petal or similar organ where it is attached to its support.
  15. 15
    The name of the controlling terminal of a bipolar transistor (BJT).
  16. 16
    The lowest side of a triangle or other polygon, or the lowest face of a cone, pyramid or other polyhedron laid flat.
  17. 17
    The lowest third of a shield (or field), or an ordinary occupying this space, the champagne. (Compare terrace.)
  18. 18
    A number raised to the power of an exponent.
  19. 19
    Synonym of radix.
  20. 20
    The set of sets from which a topology is generated.
  21. 21
    A topological space, looked at in relation to one of its covering spaces, fibrations, or bundles.
  22. 22
    A sequence of elements not jointly stabilized by any nontrivial group element.
  23. 23
    In hand-to-hand balance, the person who supports the flyer; the person that remains in contact with the ground.
  24. 24
    A morpheme (or morphemes) that serves as a basic foundation on which affixes can be attached.
  25. 25
    Dated form of bass.
  26. 26
    The smallest kind of cannon.
  27. 27
    The housing of a horse.
  28. 28
    A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
  29. 29
    A kind of armour skirt, of mail or plate, imitating the preceding civilian skirt.
  30. 30
    The lower part of a robe or petticoat.
  31. 31
    An apron.
  32. 32
    A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles.
  33. 33
    A group of voters who almost always support a single party's candidates for elected office.
  34. 34
    The forces and relations of production that produce the necessities and amenities of life.
  35. 35
    A material that holds paint or other materials together; a binder.
  36. 36
    Ellipsis of base leg.
  37. 37
    freebase cocaine

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor. Latin basis Old French basebor. Middle English base English base From Middle English base, bas, baas, from Old French base, from Latin basis, from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis). Doublet of basis and bass.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abse,baes,basse,bbase,bsae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of base - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

abse2baes2basse1bbase1bsae2
Edit distance from "base"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "base"?
"base" is spelled B-A-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /beɪs/.
What does "base" mean?
As a noun, "base" means: Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
What words are commonly confused with "base"?
"base" is commonly confused with "be", "BS", "bus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "base"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "base" is /beɪs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "base"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor. Latin basis Old French basebor. Middle English base English base From Middle English base, ba... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “base”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /beɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “be” - see the side-by-side comparison. base vs be
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list