first time install: error establishing a database connection

I’ve read through a bunch of threads in this forum about database connection issues. I’ve checked to make sure the following fields are correct,
define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘wordpress’);

/** MySQL database username */
define(‘DB_USER’, ‘wordpress’);

/** MySQL database password */
define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘*******’);

/** MySQL hostname */
define(‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost’);

I’m still receiving the error message. I’ve also check to make sure MySQL is up and running. I’ve never installed wordpress before but I’m at a loss for what the issue could be. My best guess is that it’s a permissions issue but I’m really not sure. Any thoughts on what I should be checking?