basti

/bʌstiː/

//bʌstiː// noun

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

The verdict

“basti” is uncommon English (frequency #67,238 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,238
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A slum.

Corpus desk

Index EN-basti · basti · English

basti · rank #67,238 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,238
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bathgate

Nearest frequency peer: Bathgate (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “basti”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “basti” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for basti
PropertyValue
Headwordbasti
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bʌstiː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#67,238
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “basti” 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).basti lands 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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

basti is uncommon English at frequency #67,238 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bʌstiː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A slum.".

No misspelling variants are generated for basti in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hindi बस्ती (bastī, “settlement”). The correct English form is basti, spelled B-A-S-T-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A slum.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There is a dreary bustee in the neighbourhood which is said to make the most of any cholera that may be going.
  2. With the population growth in the jhopadpattis, favelas, bastis and bidonvilles higher than any other environment in the world, we are seeing the emergence of Megaslums, where one million urban poor live in an area measuring just 1.5 square miles.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi बस्ती (bastī, “settlement”).

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "basti"?
"basti" is spelled B-A-S-T-I. The IPA pronunciation is /bʌstiː/.
What does "basti" mean?
As a noun, "basti" means: A slum.
How do you pronounce "basti"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "basti" is /bʌstiː/. 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 "basti"?
Borrowed from Hindi बस्ती (bastī, “settlement”). 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 "basti", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

What to do next

You've looked up "basti". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #67,238 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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