bass guitar

/ˈbeɪsɡɪˈtɑːɹ/

//ˈbeɪsɡɪˈtɑːɹ// noun

"bass-guitar" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bass guitar” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long-necked and solid-bodied stringed instrument (chordophone), tuned to produce bass or low notes, usually with a fretted fingerboard and four thick strings, and requiring the use of an amplifier.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bass-guitar · bass guitar · English

bass guitar · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for bass guitar
PropertyValue
Headwordbass guitar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbeɪsɡɪˈtɑːɹ/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bass guitar” in English

bass guitarfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bass guitar is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbeɪsɡɪˈtɑːɹ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A long-necked and solid-bodied stringed instrument (chordophone), tuned to produce bass or low notes, usually with a fretted fingerboard and four thick strings, and requiring the use of an amplifier.".

Zero misspellings are on record for bass guitar in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is bass guitar, spelled B-A-S-S- -G-U-I-T-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long-necked and solid-bodied stringed instrument (chordophone), tuned to produce bass or low notes, usually with a fretted fingerboard and four thick strings, and requiring the use of an amplifier.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bass guitar"?
"bass guitar" is spelled B-A-S-S- -G-U-I-T-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbeɪsɡɪˈtɑːɹ/.
What does "bass guitar" mean?
As a noun, "bass guitar" means: A long-necked and solid-bodied stringed instrument (chordophone), tuned to produce bass or low notes, usually with a fretted fingerboard and four thick strings, and requiring the use of an amplifier.
How do you pronounce "bass guitar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bass guitar" is /ˈbeɪsɡɪˈtɑːɹ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bass guitar" come from?
"bass guitar" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list