barker
/ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/
"barker" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“barker” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,099 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #13,099
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone or something who barks.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | barker |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #13,099 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “barker” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for barker is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,099 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 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 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
- 1Someone or something who barks.
- 2A person employed to solicit customers by calling out to passersby, e.g. at a carnival.
- 3A shelf-talker.
- 4A video game mode where the action is demonstrated to entice someone to play the game.
- 5A pistol.
- 6The spotted redshank.
Etymology
From Middle English berkere; equivalent to bark (“dog noise”) + -er.
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
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Using “barker”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-A-R-K-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɑː(ɹ)kɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “barr” - see the side-by-side comparison. barker vs barr
- 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.