Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

back to basics

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.82 in modern English

Syllables: back- -to ba-sics
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

back to fundamental principles

noun

A conscious return to principles such as self-respect, decency and honesty; especially the discredited policy of the Conservative government in the 1990s.

British usage; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"You can't teach them calculus when they can't add up; let's get back to basics."
"While Strachan’s men have succeeded in adopting a more expansive, fluid style of play in recent times, it was very much a case of back to basics for this one."

Etymology

From back + to + basics.

Usage

British usage
Uncountable

Inflected Forms

back-to-basics (alternative)

Phrases

Victorian values

Frequently Paired Words

Victorian values

Questions

What does back to basics mean?: back to fundamental principles
Where does back to basics come from?: From back + to + basics.

How to pronounce back to basics

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