barrage

/ˈbæɹɑːʒ/

//ˈbæɹɑːʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“barrage” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,299. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,299
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An artificial obstruction, such as a dam, in a river designed to increase its depth or to divert its flow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-barrage · barrage · English

barrage · rank #17,299 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,299
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH barefoot

Nearest frequency peer: barefoot (-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 “barrage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “barrage” 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).

barrage vs barre
71% similar
barrage vs barge
71% similar
barrage vs barra
71% similar

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

Key facts for barrage
PropertyValue
Headwordbarrage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæɹɑːʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#17,299
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “barrage”

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).barragelands 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 “barefoot” (#17,298), “Bartlett” (#17,300), “banished” (#17,297). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “barrage” is #17,299. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around barrage (IPA /ˈbæɹɑːʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,299 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for barrage, with forms such as "abrrage", "barage", and "bararge". 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, "barre", "barge", "barra", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from French barrage (“barrage, barrier”) c. 1859. Compare barrier. The correct English form is barrage, spelled B-A-R-R-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An artificial obstruction, such as a dam, in a river designed to increase its depth or to divert its flow.
  2. 2
    A heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of one's own troops to screen and protect them.
  3. 3
    A concentrated discharge of projectile weapons.
  4. 4
    An overwhelming outburst of words, especially of criticism.
  5. 5
    A "next hit wins" contest to determine the winner of a bout in case of a tie.
  6. 6
    Type of firework containing a mixture of firework types in one single-ignition package.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The 75s of V Corps fired a standard rolling barrage, while the larger 155 mm and 8-inch pieces fired standing barrages 500 meters beyond the barrage line. For the rolling barrage, one battery in each battalion fired low, bursting shrapnel instead of the standard high explosive.
  2. Blast after blast, fiery outbreak after fiery outbreak, like a flaming barrage from within,[…]most of Edison's grounds soon became an inferno. As though on an incendiary rampage, the fires systematically devoured the contents of Edison's headquarters and facilities.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French barrage (“barrage, barrier”) c. 1859. Compare barrier.

This word in other languages

presa(Español)barrage(Français)Stauwehr(Deutsch)barragem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abrrage
  • barage
  • bararge
  • barraeg
  • barragge
  • barrgae
  • bbarrage
  • brarage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of barrage - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

abrrage2barage1bararge2barraeg2barragge1barrgae2bbarrage1brarage2
Edit distance from "barrage"

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 "barrage"?
"barrage" is spelled B-A-R-R-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæɹɑːʒ/.
What does "barrage" mean?
As a noun, "barrage" means: An artificial obstruction, such as a dam, in a river designed to increase its depth or to divert its flow.
What words are commonly confused with "barrage"?
"barrage" is commonly confused with "barre", "barge", "barra". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "barrage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barrage" is /ˈbæɹɑːʒ/. 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 "barrage"?
Unadapted borrowing from French barrage (“barrage, barrier”) c. 1859. Compare barrier. 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 "barrage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Antoine#17,290Britney#17,308bruised#17,310Burnley#17,312

Similar misspelling depth

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

broth8 variantscocky8 variantscoined8 variantsuterus8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list