Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

contrabass

/ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.58 in modern English

Syllables
con-tra-bass
IPA
/ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The part or section one octave lower than bass.

noun

Double bass; string bass.

noun

Any of the several contrabass instruments.

noun

The person or instrument performing the contrabass part.

Etymology

From Italian contrabbasso, from contra (“against”) + basso (“low”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: contrabbasso

Inflected Forms

contrabasses (plural)

Derived Forms

contrabassist octocontrabass subcontrabass

Phrases

contrabass bugle contrabass clarinet contrabass recorder contrabass sax contrabass saxophone contrabass saxophonist triple contrabass viol

Frequently Paired Words

bass contra

Synonyms

double-bass bass fiddle bass viol bull fiddle double bass string bass

Questions

How do you pronounce contrabass?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/.
What does contrabass mean?
The part or section one octave lower than bass.
Where does contrabass come from?
It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce contrabass

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “contrabass”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “contrabass”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “contrabass” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.