barbacoa

noun

The verdict

“barbacoa” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Barbecue, grand gril de bois, élevé dans le milieu d’un boucan, sur lequel on met la viande et le poisson que l’on veut faire boucaner.

Corpus desk

Index FR-barbacoa · barbacoa · French

barbacoa · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for barbacoa
PropertyValue
Headwordbarbacoa
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « barbacoa » en français

barbacoasiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

barbacoa is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Barbecue, grand gril de bois, élevé dans le milieu d’un boucan, sur lequel on met la viande et le poisson que l’on veut faire boucaner.".

No misspelling variants are generated for barbacoa in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is barbacoa, spelled B-A-R-B-A-C-O-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Barbecue, grand gril de bois, élevé dans le milieu d’un boucan, sur lequel on met la viande et le poisson que l’on veut faire boucaner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. C’est sur cette machine, que les Indiens nomment Barbacoa, que l’on place les chairs et les poissons que l’on veut boucaner.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "barbacoa"?
"barbacoa" is spelled B-A-R-B-A-C-O-A.
What does "barbacoa" mean?
As a noun, "barbacoa" means: Barbecue, grand gril de bois, élevé dans le milieu d’un boucan, sur lequel on met la viande et le poisson que l’on veut faire boucaner.
What language does "barbacoa" come from?
"barbacoa" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list