basin

/ˈbeɪs(ə)n/

//ˈbeɪs(ə)n// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"basin" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“basin” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,210. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,210
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.

Corpus desk

Index EN-basin · basin · English

basin · rank #6,210 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,210
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH architect

Nearest frequency peer: architect (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “basin”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “basin” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

basin vs bin
60% similar
basin vs bass
60% similar
basin vs bein
60% similar

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

Key facts for basin
PropertyValue
Headwordbasin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbeɪs(ə)n/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,210
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “basin” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).basinlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “architect” (#6,209), “beneficial” (#6,211), “approve” (#6,208). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around basin (IPA /ˈbeɪs(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,210 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for basin, with forms such as "absin", "baisn", and "basinn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bin", "bass", "bein", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *baskis Gaulish *baskisder. Vulgar Latin bacca Vulgar Latin *baccinum Old French bacinbor. Middle English basyn English basin From Middle English basyn, from Old French bacin, from Vulgar Latin *baccinum (“wide bowl”). The correct English form is basin, spelled B-A-S-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.
  2. 2
    A shallow bowl used for a single serving of a drink or liquidy food.
  3. 3
    A depression, natural or artificial, containing water.
  4. 4
    An area of land from which water drains into a common outlet; drainage basin.
  5. 5
    A shallow depression in a rock formation, such as an area of down-folded rock that has accumulated a thick layer of sediments, or an area scooped out by water erosion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how basin appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. First, as you know, my house within the city Is richly furnished with plate and gold, Basins and ewers to lave her dainty hands;
  2. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *baskis Gaulish *baskisder. Vulgar Latin bacca Vulgar Latin *baccinum Old French bacinbor. Middle English basyn English basin From Middle English basyn, from Old French bacin, from Vulgar Latin *baccinum (“wide bowl”).

This word in other languages

pileta(Español)cuvette(Français)Becken(Deutsch)bacia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • absin
  • baisn
  • basinn
  • basni
  • bassin
  • bbasin
  • bsain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of basin - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

absin2baisn2basinn1basni2bassin1bbasin1bsain2
Edit distance from "basin"

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 "basin"?
"basin" is spelled B-A-S-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbeɪs(ə)n/.
What does "basin" mean?
As a noun, "basin" means: A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.
What words are commonly confused with "basin"?
"basin" is commonly confused with "bin", "bass", "bein". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "basin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "basin" is /ˈbeɪs(ə)n/. 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 "basin"?
Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *baskis Gaulish *baskisder. Vulgar Latin bacca Vulgar Latin *baccinum Old French bacinbor. Middle English basyn English basin From Middle English basyn, from Old French bacin, from Vulgar Latin *baccinum (“wide bowl”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "basin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

breed#6,213bride#6,215chick#6,223Dubai#6,231

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

essays7 variantssetup7 variantsfairy7 variantsfreak7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list