barnacle
bar·na·cle/ˈbɑɹnəkl̩/noun, verb
barnacle is spelled B-A-R-N-A-C-L-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables (bar·na·cle). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, barnacle means “A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of barnacle is barnacles.
How many letters and syllables are in barnacle?
| Letters | 8: B-A-R-N-A-C-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: bar·na·cle |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,949th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is barnacle?
Barnacle appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce barnacle?
- UK /ˈbɑːnəkl̩/
- US /ˈbɑɹnəkl̩/
Barnacle has 3 syllables, split bar·na·cle in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-barnacle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with barnacle?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as barnacle (/ɑɹnəkl/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: balancer.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of barnacle
- barnacles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- barnacling participle, present
- barnacled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does barnacle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships.
- 2
The barnacle goose.
- 3
slangIn electrical engineering, a change made to a product on the manufacturing floor that was not part of the original product design.
- 4
slangOn printed circuit boards, a change such as soldering a wire in order to connect two points, or addition such as an added resistor or capacitor, subassembly or daughterboard.
- 5
slangA deprecated or obsolete file, image or other artifact that remains with a project even though it is no longer needed.
- 6
obsoleteAn instrument like a pair of pincers, to fix on the nose of a vicious horse while shoeing so as to make it more tractable.
- 7
UKarchaicslangA pair of spectacles.
- 8
obsoleteslangA good job, or snack easily obtained.
verb
- 1
To connect with or attach.
- 2
To press close against something.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Barnacle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense marine crustacean:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pouce-pied, bernache |
| German | Rankenfüßer, Rankenfußkrebs, Seepocke |
| Portuguese | craca, percebe, perceve, bernacla |
| Spanish | percebe, bálano, balano |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does barnacle come from?
Uncertain, with long-debated origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).