bark

/bɑːk/

//bɑːk// verb

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

"bark" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bark” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,895 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#8,895
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bark vs br
50% similar
bark vs bay
50% similar
bark vs bro
50% similar

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

Key facts for bark
PropertyValue
Headwordbark
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɑːk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#8,895
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bark” 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). bark 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 bark is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɑːk/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,895 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 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for bark, with forms such as "abrk", "bakr", and "barkk". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "br", "bay", "bro", 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 barken, berken, borken, from Old English beorcan (“to bark”), from the Proto-West Germanic *berkan (“to bark”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerg- (“to make a noise, growl, bark”), from *bʰer- (“to drone, hum, buzz”). Cognate with Icelandi… The correct English form is bark, spelled B-A-R-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs).
  2. 2
    To make a clamor; to make importunate outcries.
  3. 3
    To speak sharply.

Etymology

From Middle English barken, berken, borken, from Old English beorcan (“to bark”), from the Proto-West Germanic *berkan (“to bark”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerg- (“to make a noise, growl, bark”), from *bʰer- (“to drone, hum, buzz”). Cognate with Icelandic berkja (“to bark, bluster”), Icelandic barki (“throat, windpipe”), dialectal Lithuanian burgė́ti (“to growl, grumble, grouch, quarrel”), Serbo-Croatian brbljati (“to murmur”). For the noun, compare Old English beorc, bearce (“barking”)..

This word in other languages

ladrar(Español)aboyer(Français)bellen(Deutsch)latir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abrk,bakr,barkk,barrk,bbark,brak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bark - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

abrk2bakr2barkk1barrk1bbark1brak2
Edit distance from "bark"

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 "bark"?
"bark" is spelled B-A-R-K. The IPA pronunciation is /bɑːk/.
What does "bark" mean?
As a verb, "bark" means: To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs).
What words are commonly confused with "bark"?
"bark" is commonly confused with "br", "bay", "bro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bark"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bark" is /bɑːk/. 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 "bark"?
From Middle English barken, berken, borken, from Old English beorcan (“to bark”), from the Proto-West Germanic *berkan (“to bark”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerg- (“to make a noise, growl, bark”), from *bʰer- (“to drone, hum, buzz”). Cognate wit... 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 “bark”

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

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