# balm vs barb

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### balm
*noun · IPA /bɑːm/ · frequency rank #20,852*
Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.

### 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/balm-vs-barb