là-bas

\la.ba\

/\la.ba\/ adv

The verdict

“là-bas” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - En ce lieu éloigné.

Corpus desk

Index FR-la-bas · là-bas · French

là-bas · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 là-bas
PropertyValue
Headwordlà-bas
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\la.ba\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « là-bas » en français

là-basn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

là-bas is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \la.ba\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for là-bas in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is là-bas, spelled L-À---B-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    En ce lieu éloigné.
  2. 2
    S'adresse à une personne éloignée qu'on interpelle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. — Nous sommes sous le fort de Montrouge, dit-il ; là-bas, c'est le fort de Vanves, et là-bas, tout là-bas sur une hauteur, c'est le fort d’Issy... juste devant Clamart.
  2. Mais toujours une pensée venait l’arrêter ; il y avait là-bas, dans les Ardennes, un vieux père et une mère aux cheveux blancs qui mourraient certainement de chagrin si leur fils, […], faisait toutes ces choses qui passaient par son cerveau embrasé, aux heures lentes des nuits mauvaises.

Antonyms

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 "là-bas"?
"là-bas" is spelled L-À---B-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is \la.ba\.
What does "là-bas" mean?
As an adverb, "là-bas" means: En ce lieu éloigné.
How do you pronounce "là-bas"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "là-bas" is \la.ba\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "là-bas" come from?
"là-bas" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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