bascule

\bas.kyl\

/\bas.kyl\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bascule” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #13,975 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,975
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pièce de bois ou d’autre matière soutenue par le milieu de manière qu’en pesant sur l’un des bouts on fait lever l’autre.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bascule vs baule
71% similar
bascule vs basque
71% similar
bascule vs basile
71% similar

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

Key facts for bascule
PropertyValue
Headwordbascule
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bas.kyl\
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,975
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bascule” sits in French 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). bascule lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for bascule is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \bas.kyl\. Corpus data places it at rank #13,975 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for bascule, with forms such as "abscule", "bacsule", and "basccule". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "baule", "basque", "basile", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is bascule, spelled B-A-S-C-U-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pièce de bois ou d’autre matière soutenue par le milieu de manière qu’en pesant sur l’un des bouts on fait lever l’autre.
  2. 2
    Jeu où deux personnes, étant chacune sur le bout d’une pièce de bois mise en équilibre, s’amusent à se balancer.
  3. 3
    Mouvement semblable à celui de la bascule.
  4. 4
    Genre de balance dont on se sert pour peser les objets lourds et encombrants. → voir balance de Quintenz
  5. 5
    Dispositif qui fait fonction de bascule ou de levier dans un appareil de serrurerie, d’horlogerie, de fumisterie, de menuiserie, etc.
  6. 6
    Circuit possédant deux états stables.

This word in other languages

seesaw(English)báscula(Español)Flip-Flop(Deutsch)balanço(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abscule,bacsule,basccule,basclue,bascuel,basculle,basscule,basucle,bbascule,bsacule

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bascule - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

abscule2bacsule2basccule1basclue2bascuel2basculle1basscule1basucle2
Edit distance from "bascule"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bascule"?
"bascule" is spelled B-A-S-C-U-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \bas.kyl\.
What does "bascule" mean?
As a noun, "bascule" means: Pièce de bois ou d’autre matière soutenue par le milieu de manière qu’en pesant sur l’un des bouts on fait lever l’autre.
What words are commonly confused with "bascule"?
"bascule" is commonly confused with "baule", "basque", "basile". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bascule"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bascule" is \bas.kyl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bascule" come from?
"bascule" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “bascule”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-A-S-C-U-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bas.kyl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “baule” - see the side-by-side comparison. bascule vs baule
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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