# balk vs barb

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### balk
*noun · IPA /bɔːk/ · frequency rank #40,576*
An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.

### barb
*noun · IPA /bɑː(ɹ)b/ · frequency rank #19,268*
The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/balk-vs-barb