barrier

/ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“barrier” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,574. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,574
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A structure that bars passage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-barrier · barrier · English

barrier · rank #5,574 · 8 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,574
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bacon

Nearest frequency peer: bacon (-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 “barrier”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “barrier” 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).

barrier vs barter
71% similar
barrier vs barrio
71% similar
barrier vs barring
71% similar

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

Key facts for barrier
PropertyValue
Headwordbarrier
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,574
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “barrier”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).barrierlands 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 “bacon” (#5,573), “Belgium” (#5,575), “appearing” (#5,572). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “barrier” is #5,574. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around barrier (IPA /ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,574 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for barrier, with forms such as "abrrier", "barier", and "barirer". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "barter", "barrio", "barring", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English barryer, barrere, barryȝer, from Old French barriere (compare French barrière), from Old French barre (“bar”). The correct English form is barrier, spelled B-A-R-R-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A structure that bars passage.
  2. 2
    An obstacle or impediment.
  3. 3
    A boundary or limit.
  4. 4
    A node (in government and binding theory) said to intervene between other nodes A and B if it is a potential governor for B, c-commands B, and does not c-command A.
  5. 5
    A separation between two areas of the body where specialized cells allow the entry of certain substances but prevent the entry of others.
  6. 6
    The lists in a tournament.
  7. 7
    A martial exercise of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The bus went through a railway barrier and was hit by a train.
  2. The bomber had passed through one checkpoint before blowing himself up at a second barrier.

Etymology

From Middle English barryer, barrere, barryȝer, from Old French barriere (compare French barrière), from Old French barre (“bar”).

This word in other languages

barrera(Español)barrière(Français)Sperre(Deutsch)barreira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abrrier
  • barier
  • barirer
  • barreir
  • barrierr
  • barrire
  • bbarrier
  • brarier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abrrier2barier1barirer2barreir2barrierr1barrire2bbarrier1brarier2
Edit distance from "barrier"

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 "barrier"?
"barrier" is spelled B-A-R-R-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "barrier" mean?
As a noun, "barrier" means: A structure that bars passage.
What words are commonly confused with "barrier"?
"barrier" is commonly confused with "barter", "barrio", "barring". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "barrier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barrier" is /ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)/. 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 "barrier"?
From Middle English barryer, barrere, barryȝer, from Old French barriere (compare French barrière), from Old French barre (“bar”). 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 "barrier", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Belgium#5,575casting#5,581worries#5,566warrior#5,564

Similar misspelling depth

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

bombs8 variantsburst8 variantsrocky8 variantsretain8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list