barbarians

\bɑɹ.ˈbɛɹ.i.ənz\

/\bɑɹ.ˈbɛɹ.i.ənz\/ noun

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

The verdict

“barbarians” is uncommon French (frequency #91,428 among 227,490 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,428
frequency rank, French
227,490
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pluriel de barbarian.

Key facts for barbarians
PropertyValue
Headwordbarbarians
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bɑɹ.ˈbɛɹ.i.ənz\
Letters10
Frequency rank#91,428
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “barbarians” sits in French 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). barbarians lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

barbarians is uncommon French at frequency #91,428 among 227,490 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \bɑɹ.ˈbɛɹ.i.ənz\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Pluriel de barbarian.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for barbarians 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.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is barbarians, spelled B-A-R-B-A-R-I-A-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pluriel de barbarian.

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "barbarians"?
"barbarians" is spelled B-A-R-B-A-R-I-A-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is \bɑɹ.ˈbɛɹ.i.ənz\.
What does "barbarians" mean?
As a noun, "barbarians" means: Pluriel de barbarian.
How do you pronounce "barbarians"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "barbarians" is \bɑɹ.ˈbɛɹ.i.ənz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "barbarians" come from?
"barbarians" 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.

Using “barbarians”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-A-R-B-A-R-I-A-N-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bɑɹ.ˈbɛɹ.i.ənz\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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