adjective

bass

bays

adjective

Low in pitch or frequency, referring to sound, voice, or instrument.

"He has a deep, bass voice perfect for radio."

noun

The lowest range of musical pitch, or an instrument that plays in that range, such as a bass guitar or double bass.

"She plays bass in a local rock band."

"Turn down the bass a little, it's rattling the windows."

Any of various edible fish resembling perch, found in both fresh and salt water.

"They caught two sea bass off the pier."

How to Use Bass

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishLow musical pitch or a bass instrument — completely unrelated to the fish that shares the spelling.

Common mistake

Same spelling, two unrelated words: "bass" (music, rhymes with "case") and "bass" (fish, rhymes with "gas").

Common pairings

bass guitar bass line sea bass

basser comparative, bassed past tense, basses plural, basses plural, bass plural, basses plural, basses singular, bassest superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “bass” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

He has a deep, _____ voice perfect for radio.

The musical sense is a respelling of base, influenced by Italian basso, "low." The fish name is unrelated, from Old English.

mass pass dass lass sass Cass Kass grass brass class glass amass