Barnabas

/ˈbɑɹnəbəs/

//ˈbɑɹnəbəs// name

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

"barnabas" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Barnabas” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,791. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,791
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem

Corpus desk

Index EN-barnabas · Barnabas · English

Barnabas · rank #34,791 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,791
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH barrio

Nearest frequency peer: barrio (+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 “Barnabas”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Barnabas” 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).

Barnabas vs Barnaby
75% similar
Barnabas vs bananas
63% similar

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

Key facts for Barnabas
PropertyValue
HeadwordBarnabas
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈbɑɹnəbəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#34,791
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Barnabas”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Barnabaslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “barrio” (#34,792), “Belleville” (#34,793), “babbling” (#34,788). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “Barnabas” is #34,791. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Barnabas (IPA /ˈbɑɹnəbəs/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #34,791 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Barnabas, with forms such as "abrnabas", "banrabas", and "baranbas". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Barnaby", "bananas", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek Βαρναβᾶς (Barnabâs), from Aramaic בַרְנֶבֻאָה (barneḇú’â, literally “prophet's son”), from בּר (bar, “son of”) and נְבִיָּא (nəḇiyyā, “prophet”). The correct English form is Barnabas, spelled B-A-R-N-A-B-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem
  2. 2
    A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation, ) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Βαρναβᾶς (Barnabâs), from Aramaic בַרְנֶבֻאָה (barneḇú’â, literally “prophet's son”), from בּר (bar, “son of”) and נְבִיָּא (nəḇiyyā, “prophet”).

This word in other languages

Bernabé(Español)Barnabé(Français)Barnabé(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abrnabas
  • banrabas
  • baranbas
  • barnaabs
  • barnabass
  • barnabbas
  • barnabsa
  • barnbaas
  • barnnabas
  • barrnabas
  • bbarnabas
  • branabas

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Barnabas - 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.

abrnabas2banrabas2baranbas2barnaabs2barnabass1barnabbas1barnabsa2barnbaas2
Edit distance from "Barnabas"

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 "Barnabas"?
"Barnabas" is spelled B-A-R-N-A-B-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɑɹnəbəs/.
What does "Barnabas" mean?
As a proper noun, "Barnabas" means: An early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem
What words are commonly confused with "Barnabas"?
"Barnabas" is commonly confused with "Barnaby", "bananas". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Barnabas"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Barnabas" is /ˈbɑɹnəbəs/. 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 "Barnabas"?
From Ancient Greek Βαρναβᾶς (Barnabâs), from Aramaic בַרְנֶבֻאָה (barneḇú’â, literally “prophet's son”), from בּר (bar, “son of”) and נְבִיָּא (nəḇiyyā, “prophet”). 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 "Barnabas", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

babbling#34,788Bernhard#34,796biennale#34,797blackish#34,800

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

annulment12 variantstyrosine12 variantsthrifty12 variantstenement12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list