barkeep

/ˈbɑɹˌkiːp/

//ˈbɑɹˌkiːp// noun

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

"barkeep" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“barkeep” is uncommon English (frequency #94,566 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,566
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A bartender.

Corpus desk

Index EN-barkeep · barkeep · English

barkeep · rank #94,566 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,566
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH baris

Nearest frequency peer: baris (-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 “barkeep”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for barkeep
PropertyValue
Headwordbarkeep
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɑɹˌkiːp/
Letters7
Frequency rank#94,566
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “barkeep” 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).barkeepfalls 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: “baris” (#94,565), “basest” (#94,567), “Bardstown” (#94,564). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “barkeep” is #94,566. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

barkeep is uncommon English at frequency #94,566 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɑɹˌkiːp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A bartender.".

barkeep doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bar + keep, a clipping of barkeeper. The correct English form is barkeep, spelled B-A-R-K-E-E-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bartender.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I sez to the barkeep' o' the hotel, "Show me the biggest doctor here."
  2. Barkeep, a couple of beers here, please?

Etymology

From bar + keep, a clipping of barkeeper.

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 "barkeep"?
"barkeep" is spelled B-A-R-K-E-E-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɑɹˌkiːp/.
What does "barkeep" mean?
As a noun, "barkeep" means: A bartender.
How do you pronounce "barkeep"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barkeep" is /ˈbɑɹˌkiːp/. 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 "barkeep"?
From bar + keep, a clipping of barkeeper. 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 "barkeep", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Basheer#94,568basilar#94,569Balogun#94,561Bhavani#94,589

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list