bar

/bɑː/

//bɑː// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"bar" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bar” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,213 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,213
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A solid, more or less rigid object of metal or wood with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bar vs be
33% similar
bar vs by
33% similar
bar vs BC
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bar
PropertyValue
Headwordbar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɑː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,213
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bar” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bar lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bar is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɑː/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,213 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 41 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for bar in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "be", "by", "BC", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English barre, from Old French barre (“beam, bar, gate, barrier”), from Vulgar Latin *barra, of uncertain origin. Doublet of barre. The correct English form is bar, spelled B-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A solid, more or less rigid object of metal or wood with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length.
  2. 2
    A solid metal object with uniform (round, square, hexagonal, octagonal or rectangular) cross-section; in the US its smallest dimension is ¹⁄₄ inch or greater, a piece of thinner material being called a strip.
  3. 3
    A cuboid piece of any solid commodity.
  4. 4
    A broad shaft, band, or stripe.
  5. 5
    A long, narrow drawn or printed rectangle, cuboid or cylinder, especially as used in a bar code or a bar chart.
  6. 6
    Any of various lines used as punctuation or diacritics, such as the pipe ⟨|⟩, fraction bar (as in 12), and strikethrough (as in Ⱥ), formerly (obsolete) including oblique marks such as the slash.
  7. 7
    The sign indicating that the characteristic of a logarithm is negative, conventionally placed above the digit(s) to show that it applies to the characteristic only and not to the mantissa.
  8. 8
    A similar sign indicating that the charge on a particle is the negative of its usual value (and that consequently the particle is in fact an antiparticle).
  9. 9
    A business selling alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises, or the premises themselves; a public house.
  10. 10
    The counter of such premises.
  11. 11
    A counter, or simply a cabinet, from which alcoholic drinks are served in a private house or a hotel room.
  12. 12
    Premises or a counter serving any type of beverage.
  13. 13
    An informal establishment selling food to be consumed on the premises.
  14. 14
    An establishment offering cosmetic services.
  15. 15
    An official order or pronouncement that prohibits some activity.
  16. 16
    Anything that obstructs, hinders, or prevents; an obstruction; a barrier.
  17. 17
    A metasyntactic variable representing an unspecified entity, often the second in a series, following foo.
  18. 18
    A dividing line (physical or notional) in the chamber of a legislature beyond which only members and officials may pass.
  19. 19
    The railing surrounding the part of a courtroom in which the judges, lawyers, defendants and witnesses stay.
  20. 20
    The bar exam, the legal licensing exam.
  21. 21
    Collectively, lawyers or the legal profession; specifically applied to barristers in some countries, but including all lawyers in others.
  22. 22
    One of an array of bar-shaped symbols that display the level of something, such as wireless signal strength or battery life remaining.
  23. 23
    A vertical line across a musical staff dividing written music into sections, typically of equal durational value.
  24. 24
    One of those musical sections.
  25. 25
    One of those musical sections.
  26. 26
    A horizontal pole that must be crossed in the high jump and pole vault.
  27. 27
    Any level of achievement regarded as a challenge to be overcome; a standard or expectation.
  28. 28
    The crossbar.
  29. 29
    The central divider between the inner and outer table of a backgammon board, where stones are placed if they are hit.
  30. 30
    An addition to a military medal, on account of a subsequent act.
  31. 31
    A ridge or succession of ridges of sand or other substance; especially
  32. 32
    A ridge or succession of ridges of sand or other substance; especially:
  33. 33
    One of the ordinaries in heraldry; a diminutive of a fess.
  34. 34
    A city gate, in some British place names.
  35. 35
    A drilling or tamping rod.
  36. 36
    A vein or dike crossing a lode.
  37. 37
    A gatehouse of a castle or fortified town.
  38. 38
    The part of the crust of a horse's hoof which is bent inwards towards the frog at the heel on each side, and extends into the centre of the sole.
  39. 39
    The space between the tusks and grinders in the upper jaw of a horse, in which the bit is placed.
  40. 40
    A measure of drugs, typically one ounce.
  41. 41
    A small, tablet-shaped dose of Xanax, typically containing two milligrams and able to be split into quarters.

Etymology

From Middle English barre, from Old French barre (“beam, bar, gate, barrier”), from Vulgar Latin *barra, of uncertain origin. Doublet of barre.

This word in other languages

barra(Español)barre(Français)Block(Deutsch)barra(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bar"?
"bar" is spelled B-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /bɑː/.
What does "bar" mean?
As a noun, "bar" means: A solid, more or less rigid object of metal or wood with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length.
What words are commonly confused with "bar"?
"bar" is commonly confused with "be", "by", "BC". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bar" is /bɑː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bar"?
From Middle English barre, from Old French barre (“beam, bar, gate, barrier”), from Vulgar Latin *barra, of uncertain origin. Doublet of barre. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Using “bar”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bɑː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “be” - see the side-by-side comparison. bar vs be
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list