# Barbary vs barber

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### Barbary
*name · IPA /ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹi/ · frequency rank #46,329*
The Mediterranean coastal areas of North Africa that were used as a base by pirates in the 16th to 19th centuries.

### barber
*noun · IPA /ˈbɑː.bə/ · frequency rank #9,440*
A person whose profession is cutting the hair and beards of usually male customers.

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