# barley

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɑɹli/ · frequency rank #15,106

## Definitions
1. A cereal of the species Hordeum vulgare, or its grains, often used as food or to make beer and other malted drinks.
2. The seed of Job's tears. (Coix lacryma-jobi)

## Etymology
From Middle English barly, barli, from Old English bærlīċ (“barley-like”, adjective) (later referring to barley itself and grain crops of similar appearance), from bere (“barley”) (compare Scots bere (“six-rowed barley”)), from Proto-Germanic *baraz (compare Old Norse barr), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- (“spike, prickle”). Equivalent to bere + -ly. See English brew.

## Easily confused with
- **Barry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barry)
- **barre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barre)
- **burly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-burly)
- **barrel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barrel)
- **Barnes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barnes)
- **barred** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barred)
- **Barney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barney)
- **barren** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barren)
- **Barlow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barlow)
- **barter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barter)
- **barnet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barnet)
- **burley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-burley)
- **Burney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-burney)
- **Bradley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-bradley)
- **Burnley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-burnley)
- **Beasley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-beasley)
- **Barnsley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barley-vs-barnsley)
- **bare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bare-vs-barley)
- **bale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bale-vs-barley)
- **badly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/badly-vs-barley)

## Common misspellings (8)
`abrley`, `balrey`, `barleyy`, `barlley`, `barlye`, `barrley`, `bbarley`, `braley`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/barley