Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

barley

/ˈbɑɹli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.49 in modern English

Syllables
bar-ley
IPA
/ˈbɑɹli/
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A cereal of the species Hordeum vulgare or its grains, often used as food or to make beer and other malted drinks.

Uncountable

noun

The seed of Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi).

Uncountable

name

A village in Hertfordshire, England.

Countable; Uncountable

name

A village in Lancashire, England.

Countable; Uncountable

name

A surname.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From Middle English barly, barli, from Old English bærlīċ (“barley-like”, adjective) (later referring to barley itself and grain crops of similar appearance), from bere (“barley”) (compare Scots bere (“six-rowed barley”)), from Proto-Germanic *baraz (compare Old Norse barr), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- (“spike, prickle”). Equivalent to bere + -ly. See English brew.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbɑɹli/
  • British English: /ˈbɑːli/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in People.

Inflected Forms

barleys (plural)

Derived Forms

barleybrake barleycorn barleylike barleymeal barleymow nonbarley

Phrases

barley beer barley-bird barley bread barley-bree barley-broo barley-broth barley coal barley fork

Synonyms

barleycorn

Homonyms

Bali (non-rhotic)

Rhymes With

charlie harley marley carly charley farley gnarly parley darley carli carley varley

Questions

How do you pronounce barley?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɑɹli/.
What does barley mean?
A cereal of the species Hordeum vulgare or its grains, often used as food or to make beer and other malted drinks.
Where does barley come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce barley

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “barley”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɑɹli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “barley”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “barley” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.