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PlainSpell

base

/beɪs/noun, verb, adjective

base is spelled B-A-S-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 112 times per million words in written English, the 951st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “base vs bass” about 480 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, base means “Something from which other things extend; a foundation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of base is bases.

How many letters and syllables are in base?

Letters4: B-A-S-E
Syllables1
In writing112 times per million words; the 951st most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search
Sounds like
Rhymes with
Same letters

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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is base?

Base appears 112 times per million words in written English, the 951st 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 base?

  • US /beɪs/
  • Australia /bæɪs/
  • /beːs/

Base has one syllable.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-base.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with base

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

base vs bass480 G
base vs basis50 G

Sounds like: bass (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with base?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as base from its last stressed vowel (/eɪs/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: sabe.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of base

  • bases plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • basing participle, present
  • based participle, past
  • baser comparative
  • more base comparative
  • basest superlative
  • most base superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does base mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Something from which other things extend; a foundation.

  2. 2

    A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.

  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

    USThe game of prisoners' bars.

  10. 10

    Alternative form of BASE.

verb

  1. 1

    To give as its foundation or starting point; to lay the foundation of.

  2. 2

    To be located (at a particular place).

    Troops have been based in Munich since the end of World War II.

  3. 3

    To act as a base; to be the person supporting the flyer.

  4. 4

    slangTo freebase.

adjective

  1. 1

    obsoleteLow in height; short.

  2. 2

    Low in place or position.

  3. 3

    obsoleteOf low value or degree.

  4. 4

    archaicOf low social standing or rank; vulgar, common.

  5. 5

    Morally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.

  6. 6

    archaicInferior; unworthy, of poor quality.

  7. 7

    Not considered precious or noble.

  8. 8

    Alloyed with inferior metal; debased.

    base coin

noun

as BASE
  1. 1

    Acronym of building, antenna-tower, span, earth.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Base in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchbase (1. something from which other things extend), caserne (3. permanent structure for housing military), quartier général (4. headquarters), baser (have as its foundation or starting point), bas, abject (low)
GermanBasis, Grundlage (1. something from which other things extend), Kaserne (3. permanent structure for housing military), basieren (have as its foundation or starting point)
Portuguesebase (1. something from which other things extend), sede (4. headquarters), basear-se em (have as its foundation or starting point), baixo (low), ficar em (be located), ruim (of inferior quality)
Spanishbase, orlo (1. something from which other things extend), basar, fundamentar (have as its foundation or starting point), bajo (low), rastrero (immoral)

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 base come from?

From Middle English base, bas, baas, from Old French base, from Latin basis, from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis). Doublet of basis and bass.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after base