debar

/dɪˈbɑː(ɹ)/

//dɪˈbɑː(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“debar” is uncommon English (frequency #99,163 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,163
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To exclude or shut out; to bar.

Corpus desk

Index EN-debar · debar · English

debar · rank #99,163 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,163
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Daoism

Nearest frequency peer: Daoism (-4 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.

Long-tail ranks near “debar”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “debar” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for debar
PropertyValue
Headworddebar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈbɑː(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#99,163
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “debar” in English

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).debarfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Daoism” (#99,159), “deionized” (#99,167), “dampener” (#99,156). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “debar” is #99,163. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

debar is uncommon English at frequency #99,163 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪˈbɑː(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for debar in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman debarrer. The correct English form is debar, spelled D-E-B-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To exclude or shut out; to bar.
  2. 2
    To hinder or prevent.
  3. 3
    To prohibit (a person or company that has been convicted of criminal acts in connection with a government program) from future participation in that program.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As for the guides, they were debarred from the pleasure of discourse, the one being placed in the van, and the other obliged to bring up the rear.
  2. The Minister of Transport has debarred BR workshops from seeking orders for private owners' wagons like this [...].

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman debarrer.

This word in other languages

ausschließen(Deutsch)barrar(Português)

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 "debar"?
"debar" is spelled D-E-B-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈbɑː(ɹ)/.
What does "debar" mean?
As a verb, "debar" means: To exclude or shut out; to bar.
How do you pronounce "debar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "debar" is /dɪˈbɑː(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 "debar"?
From Anglo-Norman debarrer. 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 "debar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crake#99,135ducat#99,205edify#99,211Erith#99,231

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list