viole de basse

\vjɔl də bɑs\

/\vjɔl də bɑs\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ancien instrument de musique appelé aussi viole de gambe, analogue pour la forme, la grandeur et la manière de le tenir, au violoncelle, qui l’a remplacé.

Key facts for viole de basse
PropertyValue
Headwordviole de basse
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\vjɔl də bɑs\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “viole de basse” sits in French frequency

viole de basse 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.

Rare enough to double-check

viole de basse is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \vjɔl də bɑs\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Ancien instrument de musique appelé aussi viole de gambe, analogue pour la forme, la grandeur et la manière de le tenir, au violoncelle, qui l’a remplacé.".

No misspelling variants are generated for viole de basse in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is viole de basse, spelled V-I-O-L-E- -D-E- -B-A-S-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ancien instrument de musique appelé aussi viole de gambe, analogue pour la forme, la grandeur et la manière de le tenir, au violoncelle, qui l’a remplacé.

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 "viole de basse"?
"viole de basse" is spelled V-I-O-L-E- -D-E- -B-A-S-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \vjɔl də bɑs\.
What does "viole de basse" mean?
As a noun, "viole de basse" means: Ancien instrument de musique appelé aussi viole de gambe, analogue pour la forme, la grandeur et la manière de le tenir, au violoncelle, qui l’a remplacé.
How do you pronounce "viole de basse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "viole de basse" is \vjɔl də bɑs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "viole de basse" come from?
"viole de basse" 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 “viole de basse”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is V-I-O-L-E- -D-E- -B-A-S-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \vjɔl də bɑs\ (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