barber

/ˈbɑː.bə/

//ˈbɑː.bə// noun

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

"barber" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“barber” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,440 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,440
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person whose profession is cutting the hair and beards of usually male customers.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

barber vs bare
67% similar
barber vs barr
67% similar
barber vs Bauer
50% similar

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

Key facts for barber
PropertyValue
Headwordbarber
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɑː.bə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,440
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “barber” 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). barber 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 barber is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɑː.bə/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,440 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for barber, with forms such as "abrber", "babrer", and "barbber". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bare", "barr", "Bauer", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *bʰardʰéh₂ From Middle English barbour, from Anglo-Norman barbour, from Old French barbeor, from barbe (“beard”), from Latin barba. The correct English form is barber, spelled B-A-R-B-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person whose profession is cutting the hair and beards of usually male customers.
  2. 2
    A barber surgeon, a foot soldier specializing in treating battlefield injuries.
  3. 3
    A 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.

Etymology

PIE word *bʰardʰéh₂ From Middle English barbour, from Anglo-Norman barbour, from Old French barbeor, from barbe (“beard”), from Latin barba.

This word in other languages

barbero(Español)coiffeur(Français)Barbier(Deutsch)barbeiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abrber,babrer,barbber,barberr,barbre,barebr,barrber,bbarber,braber

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of barber - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

abrber2babrer2barbber1barberr1barbre2barebr2barrber1bbarber1
Edit distance from "barber"

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 "barber"?
"barber" is spelled B-A-R-B-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɑː.bə/.
What does "barber" mean?
As a noun, "barber" means: A person whose profession is cutting the hair and beards of usually male customers.
What words are commonly confused with "barber"?
"barber" is commonly confused with "bare", "barr", "Bauer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "barber"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barber" is /ˈbɑː.bə/. 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 "barber"?
PIE word *bʰardʰéh₂ From Middle English barbour, from Anglo-Norman barbour, from Old French barbeor, from barbe (“beard”), from Latin barba. 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 “barber”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-R-B-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɑː.bə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bare” - see the side-by-side comparison. barber vs bare
  • 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