contrabass

/ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/

//ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs// noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part or section one octave lower than bass.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contrabass · contrabass · English

contrabass · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" 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 contrabass
PropertyValue
Headwordcontrabass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “contrabass” in English

contrabasssits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

contrabass is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

contrabass has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian contrabbasso, from contra (“against”) + basso (“low”). The correct English form is contrabass, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-B-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part or section one octave lower than bass.
  2. 2
    Double bass; string bass.
  3. 3
    Any of the several contrabass instruments.
  4. 4
    The person or instrument performing the contrabass part.

Etymology

From Italian contrabbasso, from contra (“against”) + basso (“low”).

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 "contrabass"?
"contrabass" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-B-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/.
What does "contrabass" mean?
As a noun, "contrabass" means: The part or section one octave lower than bass.
How do you pronounce "contrabass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contrabass" is /ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/. 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 "contrabass"?
From Italian contrabbasso, from contra (“against”) + basso (“low”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list