# barren vs barring

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### barren
*adjective · IPA /ˈbæɹən/ · frequency rank #17,081*
Not bearing children, childless; hence also unable to bear children, sterile.

### barring
*noun · IPA /ˈbɑːɹɪŋ(ɡ)/ · frequency rank #16,177*
Bars; an arrangement or pattern of stripes or bars.

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