barber
/ˈbɑɹ.bɚ/noun, verb
barber is spelled B-A-R-B-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, barber means “A person whose profession is cutting the hair and beards of usually male customers” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of barber is barbers.
How many letters and syllables are in barber?
| Letters | 6: B-A-R-B-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.5 times per million words; the 9,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is barber?
Barber appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce barber?
- UK /ˈbɑːbə/
- US /ˈbɑɹ.bɚ/
- Australia /ˈbɐːbə/
Barber has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-barber.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with barber?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as barber from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹbəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of barber
- barbers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- barbering participle, present
- barbered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does barber mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person whose profession is cutting the hair and beards of usually male customers.
- 2
A barber surgeon, a foot soldier specializing in treating battlefield injuries.
- 3
CanadaA storm accompanied by driving ice spicules formed from sea water, especially one occurring on the Gulf of St. Lawrence; so named from the cutting ice spicules.
verb
- 1
To cut the hair or beard of (a person).
- 2
(US, slang) To chatter, talk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Barber in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | coiffeur, coiffeuse, barbier |
| German | Barbier, Bartschneider, Bartscherer, Friseur , frisieren, Haare schneiden |
| Portuguese | barbeiro , barbear, cortar cabelo |
| Spanish | barbero, peluquero, fígaro |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does barber come from?
From Middle English barbour, from Anglo-Norman barbour, from Old French barbeor, from barbe (“beard”), from Latin barba.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).