based
/beɪst/adjective, verb, interjection
based is spelled B-A-S-E-D: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 324 times per million words in written English, the 289th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, based means “Founded on; having a basis; often used in combining forms” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in based?
| Letters | 5: B-A-S-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 324 times per million words; the 289th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is based?
Based appears 324 times per million words in written English, the 289th 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 based?
- /beɪst/
Based has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-based.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with based
Sounds like: baste (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with based?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as based.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: beads.
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 based
- more based comparative
- most based superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does based mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Founded on; having a basis; often used in combining forms.
That was a soundly based argument.
- 2
slangNot caring what others think about one's personality, style, or behavior; focused on maintaining individuality.
- 3
Admirable; praiseworthy, especially if simultaneously unpopular or controversial.
OP is based as hell
- 4
Admirable for rejecting political correctness or socially progressive values.
based and redpilled
verb
- 1
Being derived from (usually followed by on or upon).
It's a new film based on a best-selling novel.
- 2
Having a base.
The ladder is based on the even sidewalk for stability.
- 3
Having a base of operations.
The company is based in New York.
interjection
- 1
Indicating emphatic approval of a statement or opinion, often a controversial or unpopular one.
–There is no ethics in communism. –Based.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Based in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | basiert, fundiert |
| Portuguese | baseado, fundamentado , based |
| Spanish | fundamentado, cimentado , basado |
| French | basé |
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 based come from?
From base + -ed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).