barrack

/ˈbæɹ.ək/

//ˈbæɹ.ək// noun

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

"barrack" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“barrack” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,334. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,334
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A building for soldiers, especially within a garrison; originally referred to temporary huts, now usually to a permanent structure or set of buildings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-barrack · barrack · English

barrack · rank #37,334 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,334
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH barked

Nearest frequency peer: barked (-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 “barrack”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “barrack” 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).

barrack vs barrage
71% similar
barrack vs barracks
88% similar
barrack vs barra
71% similar

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

Key facts for barrack
PropertyValue
Headwordbarrack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæɹ.ək/
Letters7
Frequency rank#37,334
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “barrack”

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).barracklands 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 “barked” (#37,333), “bantam” (#37,332), “batty” (#37,336). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “barrack” is #37,334. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around barrack (IPA /ˈbæɹ.ək/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,334 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for barrack, with forms such as "abrrack", "bararck", and "barracck". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "barrage", "barracks", "barra", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French baraque, from Spanish barraca or Catalan barraca, which is of uncertain origin. It is probably either a diminutive of Vulgar Latin *barra (“bar”), of unclear origin, or a diminutive of Vulgar Latin *barrum (“clay, mud”) from Celtiberian… The correct English form is barrack, spelled B-A-R-R-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A building for soldiers, especially within a garrison; originally referred to temporary huts, now usually to a permanent structure or set of buildings.
  2. 2
    A primitive structure resembling a long shed or barn for (usually temporary) housing or other purposes.
  3. 3
    Any very plain, monotonous, or ugly large building.
  4. 4
    A (structure with a) movable roof sliding on four posts, to cover hay, straw, etc.
  5. 5
    A police station.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Before the gates of Bari, he lodged in a miserable hut or barrack, composed of dry branches, and thatched with straw; a perilous station, on all sides open to the inclemency of the winter and the spears of the enemy.
  2. 1919, House Committee on Military Affairs, Army Reorganization: Hearings Before the Committee on Military Affairs, House of Representatives, 66th Congress, 1st Session, on H.R. 8287, H.R. 8068, H.R. 7925, H.R. 8870, Sept. 3, 1919-Nov. 12, 1919, Parts 23-43, page 1956, How do you distinguish between the disciplinary barracks and the penitentiary? Where are…

Etymology

Borrowed from French baraque, from Spanish barraca or Catalan barraca, which is of uncertain origin. It is probably either a diminutive of Vulgar Latin *barra (“bar”), of unclear origin, or a diminutive of Vulgar Latin *barrum (“clay, mud”) from Celtiberian or Paleo-Hispanic.

This word in other languages

cuartel(Español)caserne(Français)Kaserne(Deutsch)quartel(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abrrack
  • bararck
  • barracck
  • barrackk
  • barrakc
  • barrcak
  • bbarrack
  • brarack

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abrrack2bararck2barracck1barrackk1barrakc2barrcak2bbarrack1brarack2
Edit distance from "barrack"

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 "barrack"?
"barrack" is spelled B-A-R-R-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæɹ.ək/.
What does "barrack" mean?
As a noun, "barrack" means: A building for soldiers, especially within a garrison; originally referred to temporary huts, now usually to a permanent structure or set of buildings.
What words are commonly confused with "barrack"?
"barrack" is commonly confused with "barrage", "barracks", "barra". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "barrack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barrack" is /ˈbæɹ.ək/. 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 "barrack"?
Borrowed from French baraque, from Spanish barraca or Catalan barraca, which is of uncertain origin. It is probably either a diminutive of Vulgar Latin *barra (“bar”), of unclear origin, or a diminutive of Vulgar Latin *barrum (“clay, mud”) from C... 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 "barrack", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bacchus#37,331auguste#37,326acetone#37,307centaur#37,374

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

belive8 variantsblurb8 variantschirp8 variantsWilkie8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list