bassoon

/bəˈsuːn/

//bəˈsuːn// noun

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

"bassoon" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bassoon” is uncommon English (frequency #50,959 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,959
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A musical instrument in the woodwind family, having a double reed and playing in the tenor and bass ranges.

Key facts for bassoon
PropertyValue
Headwordbassoon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bəˈsuːn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,959
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bassoon” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bassoon lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bassoon is uncommon English at frequency #50,959 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bəˈsuːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A musical instrument in the woodwind family, having a double reed and playing in the tenor and bass ranges.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for bassoon, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French basson. The correct English form is bassoon, spelled B-A-S-S-O-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A musical instrument in the woodwind family, having a double reed and playing in the tenor and bass ranges.

Etymology

Borrowed from French basson.

This word in other languages

bajón(Español)basson(Français)Fagott(Deutsch)fagote(Português)

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 "bassoon"?
"bassoon" is spelled B-A-S-S-O-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /bəˈsuːn/.
What does "bassoon" mean?
As a noun, "bassoon" means: A musical instrument in the woodwind family, having a double reed and playing in the tenor and bass ranges.
How do you pronounce "bassoon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bassoon" is /bəˈsuːn/. 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 "bassoon"?
Borrowed from French basson. 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.

Using “bassoon”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-S-S-O-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bəˈsuːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list