berry

/ˈbɛɹi/

//ˈbɛɹi// noun

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

"berry" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“berry” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,419 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,419
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small succulent fruit, of any one of many varieties.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

berry vs bey
60% similar
berry vs bury
60% similar
berry vs Bert
40% similar

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

Key facts for berry
PropertyValue
Headwordberry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɛɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,419
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “berry” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). berry lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for berry is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɛɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,419 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for berry, with forms such as "bberry", "berryy", and "bery". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bey", "bury", "Bert", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *bazją Proto-West Germanic *baʀi Old English berġe Middle English berye English berry From Middle English berye, from Old English berġe, from Proto-West Germanic *baʀi, from Proto-Germanic *bazją. Cognate with Saterland Frisian… The correct English form is berry, spelled B-E-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small succulent fruit, of any one of many varieties.
  2. 2
    A soft fruit which develops from a single ovary and contains seeds not encased in pits.
  3. 3
    A coffee bean.
  4. 4
    One of the ova or eggs of a fish or crustacean.
  5. 5
    A police car.
  6. 6
    A dollar.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *bazją Proto-West Germanic *baʀi Old English berġe Middle English berye English berry From Middle English berye, from Old English berġe, from Proto-West Germanic *baʀi, from Proto-Germanic *bazją. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Bäie, West Flemish beier, German Beere, Icelandic ber, Danish bær. The slang sense "police car" may come from the lights on the vehicles' roofs.

Synonyms

berry

This word in other languages

baya(Español)baie(Français)Beere(Deutsch)baga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bberry,berryy,bery,beryr,brery,ebrry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bberry1berryy1bery1beryr2brery2ebrry2
Edit distance from "berry"

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 "berry"?
"berry" is spelled B-E-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛɹi/.
What does "berry" mean?
As a noun, "berry" means: A small succulent fruit, of any one of many varieties.
What words are commonly confused with "berry"?
"berry" is commonly confused with "bey", "bury", "Bert". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "berry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "berry" is /ˈbɛɹi/. 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 "berry"?
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *bazją Proto-West Germanic *baʀi Old English berġe Middle English berye English berry From Middle English berye, from Old English berġe, from Proto-West Germanic *baʀi, from Proto-Germanic *bazją. Cognate with Saterla... 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.

Using “berry”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-R-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɛɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bey” - see the side-by-side comparison. berry vs bey
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list