bask

/bɑːsk/

//bɑːsk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“bask” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,452. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,452
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bathe in warmth; to be exposed to pleasant heat.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bask · bask · English

bask · rank #31,452 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,452
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Barrymore

Nearest frequency peer: Barrymore (-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 “bask”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bask” 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).

bask vs BS
0% similar
bask vs bus
50% similar
bask vs bay
50% similar

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

Key facts for bask
PropertyValue
Headwordbask
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɑːsk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#31,452
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bask”

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).basklands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Barrymore” (#31,451), “befriend” (#31,453), “Barnaby” (#31,450). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bask” is #31,452. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around bask (IPA /bɑːsk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #31,452 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for bask, with forms such as "absk", "baks", and "baskk". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "BS", "bus", "bay", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English basken, from Old Norse baðask (“to take a bath”, literally “to bathe oneself”), mediopassive form from underlying baða (“to bathe”) + sik (“oneself”), from Proto-Germanic *baþōną and *sek. Doublet of English bathe. The correct English form is bask, spelled B-A-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bathe in warmth; to be exposed to pleasant heat.
  2. 2
    To take great pleasure or satisfaction; to feel warmth or happiness. (Usually followed by "in".)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to bask in the sun
  2. The naked Negro, panting at the line, / Baſks in the glare, or ſtems the tepid wave, / And thanks his Gods for all the good they gave.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English basken, from Old Norse baðask (“to take a bath”, literally “to bathe oneself”), mediopassive form from underlying baða (“to bathe”) + sik (“oneself”), from Proto-Germanic *baþōną and *sek. Doublet of English bathe.

This word in other languages

lagartear(Español)lézarder(Français)genießen(Deutsch)gozar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • absk
  • baks
  • baskk
  • bassk
  • bbask
  • bsak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bask - 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.

absk2baks2baskk1bassk1bbask1bsak2
Edit distance from "bask"

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 "bask"?
"bask" is spelled B-A-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /bɑːsk/.
What does "bask" mean?
As a verb, "bask" means: To bathe in warmth; to be exposed to pleasant heat.
What words are commonly confused with "bask"?
"bask" is commonly confused with "BS", "bus", "bay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bask"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bask" is /bɑːsk/. 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 "bask"?
Inherited from Middle English basken, from Old Norse baðask (“to take a bath”, literally “to bathe oneself”), mediopassive form from underlying baða (“to bathe”) + sik (“oneself”), from Proto-Germanic *baþōną and *sek. Doublet of English bathe. 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 "bask", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

awry#31,449Belo#31,455agra#31,428Zayn#31,420

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Aruba6 variantscopped6 variantswank6 variantstotes6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list