barker

/ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/

//ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“barker” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,099. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,099
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone or something who barks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-barker · barker · English

barker · rank #13,099 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,099
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH banquet

Nearest frequency peer: banquet (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “barker”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “barker” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

barker vs barr
67% similar
barker vs burke
67% similar
barker vs Bauer
50% similar

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

Key facts for barker
PropertyValue
Headwordbarker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,099
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “barker”

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).barkerlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “banquet” (#13,098), “behaved” (#13,100), “Bahrain” (#13,097). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “barker” is #13,099. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around barker (IPA /ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,099 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for barker, with forms such as "abrker", "bakrer", and "barekr". 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, "barr", "burke", "Bauer", 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 berkere; equivalent to bark (“dog noise”) + -er. The correct English form is barker, spelled B-A-R-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone or something who barks.
  2. 2
    A person employed to solicit customers by calling out to passersby, e.g. at a carnival.
  3. 3
    A shelf-talker.
  4. 4
    A video game mode where the action is demonstrated to entice someone to play the game.
  5. 5
    A pistol.
  6. 6
    The spotted redshank.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My neighbor's dog is a constant barker that keeps me awake at night.
  2. Edmund was barker on sight, like foolish stay-at-home dogs.

Etymology

From Middle English berkere; equivalent to bark (“dog noise”) + -er.

This word in other languages

aboyeur(Français)Marktschreier(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abrker
  • bakrer
  • barekr
  • barkerr
  • barkker
  • barkre
  • barrker
  • bbarker
  • braker

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of barker - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abrker2bakrer2barekr2barkerr1barkker1barkre2barrker1bbarker1
Edit distance from "barker"

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 "barker"?
"barker" is spelled B-A-R-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/.
What does "barker" mean?
As a noun, "barker" means: Someone or something who barks.
What words are commonly confused with "barker"?
"barker" is commonly confused with "barr", "burke", "Bauer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "barker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barker" is /ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/. 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 "barker"?
From Middle English berkere; equivalent to bark (“dog noise”) + -er. 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 "barker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

billed#13,103Archie#13,091browse#13,109Yankee#13,081

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Augusta9 variantsbilling9 variantscalorie9 variantsViking9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list