barefaced

/ˈbeə(ɹ)feɪst/

//ˈbeə(ɹ)feɪst// adj

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

"barefaced" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“barefaced” is uncommon English (frequency #80,226 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,226
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Undisguisedly offensive and bold; crude.

Corpus desk

Index EN-barefaced · barefaced · English

barefaced · rank #80,226 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,226
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bano

Nearest frequency peer: Bano (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “barefaced”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “barefaced” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for barefaced
PropertyValue
Headwordbarefaced
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbeə(ɹ)feɪst/
Letters9
Frequency rank#80,226
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “barefaced” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).barefacedfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Bano” (#80,225), “Barwick” (#80,227), “Basse” (#80,230). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “barefaced” is #80,226. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

barefaced is uncommon English at frequency #80,226 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈbeə(ɹ)feɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for barefaced, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Perhaps an alteration of barefast (compare shamefast); or from bare + faced. Compary typologically cheeky; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frōns), Polish czelny (< czoło). The correct English form is barefaced, spelled B-A-R-E-F-A-C-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Undisguisedly offensive and bold; crude.
  2. 2
    Open, undisguised.
  3. 3
    Unbearded (not having a beard or other facial hair).
  4. 4
    Unmasked (not wearing a mask) or not wearing a face covering.
  5. 5
    Not wearing makeup on the face.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how barefaced appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And they vvere become ſo bare-faced and impudent in their Vices, that good and prudent Men thought fit to keep ſilence in that Time, becauſe it vvas an evil Time.
  2. Mrs Biddle actually stamped that booted foot of hers. 'You rude, barefaced child!' she said.

Etymology

Perhaps an alteration of barefast (compare shamefast); or from bare + faced. Compary typologically cheeky; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frōns), Polish czelny (< czoło).

This word in other languages

descarado(Español)descarado(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 "barefaced"?
"barefaced" is spelled B-A-R-E-F-A-C-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbeə(ɹ)feɪst/.
What does "barefaced" mean?
As an adjective, "barefaced" means: Undisguisedly offensive and bold; crude.
How do you pronounce "barefaced"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barefaced" is /ˈbeə(ɹ)feɪst/. 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 "barefaced"?
Perhaps an alteration of barefast (compare shamefast); or from bare + faced. Compary typologically cheeky; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frōns), Polish czelny (< czoło). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "barefaced", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

beauteous#80,234atavistic#80,208angiogram#80,187amaryllis#80,180

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list