Barbarismus

[baʁbaˈʁɪsmʊs]

/[baʁbaˈʁɪsmʊs]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - fremdsprachiger Ausdruck, der ins Griechische oder Lateinische übernommen wurde, in neuerer Zeit auch generell für Fremd- und Lehnwörter

Corpus desk

Index DE-barbarismus · Barbarismus · German

Barbarismus · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Barbarismus
PropertyValue
HeadwordBarbarismus
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[baʁbaˈʁɪsmʊs]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Barbarismus“ im Deutschen

Barbarismussitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Barbarismus is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [baʁbaˈʁɪsmʊs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Barbarismus in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Barbarismus, spelled B-A-R-B-A-R-I-S-M-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    fremdsprachiger Ausdruck, der ins Griechische oder Lateinische übernommen wurde, in neuerer Zeit auch generell für Fremd- und Lehnwörter
  2. 2
    schwere sprachliche Fehlleistung
  3. 3
    grausames Verhalten

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Barbarismus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „Es bildet im Deutschen den Höhepunkt jener jahrhundertealten Tradition sogenannter Antibarbari, die der Bekämpfung von »Barbarismen« in Sprache und Stil dienten: Negativzusammenstellungen speziell stilistischer Fehler und Unschönheiten, die vor allen Dingen abschrecken sollten.“
  2. „Sich wehren gegen den modernen Barbarismus und seine Vertreter, nicht resignieren – das ist Remarques Botschaft an die Gefolterten, Vertriebenen und Verzagten, die vor Hitlers Mordknechten in die letzten Winkel der Erde geflohen waren.“

Synonyms

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 "Barbarismus"?
"Barbarismus" is spelled B-A-R-B-A-R-I-S-M-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is [baʁbaˈʁɪsmʊs].
What does "Barbarismus" mean?
As a noun, "Barbarismus" means: fremdsprachiger Ausdruck, der ins Griechische oder Lateinische übernommen wurde, in neuerer Zeit auch generell für Fremd- und Lehnwörter
How do you pronounce "Barbarismus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Barbarismus" is [baʁbaˈʁɪsmʊs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Barbarismus" come from?
"Barbarismus" is a German 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list