mettre bas

\mɛtʁ ba\

/\mɛtʁ ba\/ verb

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

The verdict

“mettre bas” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Accoucher, en parlant d’un animal, plus particulièrement d’un mammifère.

Key facts for mettre bas
PropertyValue
Headwordmettre bas
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\mɛtʁ ba\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mettre bas” sits in French frequency

mettre bas falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for mettre bas is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mɛtʁ ba\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for mettre bas, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is mettre bas, spelled M-E-T-T-R-E- -B-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Accoucher, en parlant d’un animal, plus particulièrement d’un mammifère.
  2. 2
    Diminuer ; abaisser ; arrêter.
  3. 3
    Perdre ses bois, en parlant d’un cerf.
  4. 4
    Mettre ses bas.

Synonyms

faire ses petits

This word in other languages

whelp(English)parir(Español)kalben(Deutsch)

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 "mettre bas"?
"mettre bas" is spelled M-E-T-T-R-E- -B-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is \mɛtʁ ba\.
What does "mettre bas" mean?
As a verb, "mettre bas" means: Accoucher, en parlant d’un animal, plus particulièrement d’un mammifère.
How do you pronounce "mettre bas"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mettre bas" is \mɛtʁ ba\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mettre bas" come from?
"mettre bas" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “mettre bas”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-E-T-T-R-E- -B-A-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mɛtʁ ba\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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