barrel

/ˈbæɹ(ə)l/

//ˈbæɹ(ə)l// noun

"barrel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“barrel” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,391. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,391
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends (heads). The word is sometimes applied...

Corpus desk

Index EN-barrel · barrel · English

barrel · rank #5,391 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,391
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH aviation

Nearest frequency peer: aviation (-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 “barrel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “barrel” 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).

barrel vs Barry
50% similar
barrel vs Basel
50% similar
barrel vs barren
83% similar

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

Key facts for barrel
PropertyValue
Headwordbarrel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæɹ(ə)l/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,391
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “barrel”

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).barrellands 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 “aviation” (#5,390), “beds” (#5,392), “attendance” (#5,389). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “barrel” is #5,391. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around barrel (IPA /ˈbæɹ(ə)l/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,391 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for barrel, with forms such as "abrrel", "barel", and "barerl". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Barry", "Basel", "barren", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil (“barrel”), of uncertain origin. An attempt to link baril to Old French barre (“bar, bolt”) (compare Medieval Latin barra (“bar, rod”)) via assumed Vulgar Latin *barrīculum meets t… The correct English form is barrel, spelled B-A-R-R-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends (heads). The word is sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.
  2. 2
    A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends (heads). The word is sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.
  3. 3
    The quantity which constitutes a full barrel: the volume or weight this represents varies by local law and custom.
  4. 4
    A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case
  5. 5
    A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged.
  6. 6
    A venturi (in carburetion).
  7. 7
    A ceiling-mounted tube from which lights are suspended.
  8. 8
    Any tube.
  9. 9
    The hollow basal part of a feather.
  10. 10
    The part of a clarinet which connects the mouthpiece and upper joint, and resembles a barrel.
  11. 11
    A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment.
  12. 12
    A waste receptacle.
  13. 13
    The ribs and belly of a horse or pony.
  14. 14
    A jar.
  15. 15
    Any of the dark-staining regions in the somatosensory cortex of rodents, etc., where somatosensory inputs from the contralateral side of the body come in from the thalamus.
  16. 16
    A statistic derived from launch angle and exit velocity of a ball hit in play.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: cask
  2. a cracker barrel

Etymology

From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil (“barrel”), of uncertain origin. An attempt to link baril to Old French barre (“bar, bolt”) (compare Medieval Latin barra (“bar, rod”)) via assumed Vulgar Latin *barrīculum meets the phonological requirement, but fails to connect the word semantically. The alternative connection to Frankish *baril, *beril or Gothic *𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌹𐌻𐍃 (*bērils, “container for transport”), from Proto-Germanic *barilaz, *bērilaz (“barrel, jug, container”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, transport”), is more plausible as it connects not only the form of the word but also the sense; equivalent to bear + -le. Compare also Old High German biril (“jug, large pot”), Luxembourgish Bärel, Bierel (“jug, pot”), Old Norse berill (“barrel for liquids”), Old English byrla (“barrel of a horse, trunk, body”). More at bear.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abrrel
  • barel
  • barerl
  • barrell
  • barrle
  • bbarrel
  • brarel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abrrel2barel1barerl2barrell1barrle2bbarrel1brarel2
Edit distance from "barrel"

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 "barrel"?
"barrel" is spelled B-A-R-R-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæɹ(ə)l/.
What does "barrel" mean?
As a noun, "barrel" means: A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends (heads). The word is sometimes applied...
What words are commonly confused with "barrel"?
"barrel" is commonly confused with "Barry", "Basel", "barren". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "barrel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barrel" is /ˈbæɹ(ə)l/. 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 "barrel"?
From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil (“barrel”), of uncertain origin. An attempt to link baril to Old French barre (“bar, bolt”) (compare Medieval Latin barra (“bar, rod”)) via assumed Vulgar Latin *barrīcul... 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 "barrel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list