Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

barnstaple

/ˈbɑː(ɹ)nstəpəɫ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.27 in modern English

Syllables: barn-sta-ple
IPA: /ˈbɑː(ɹ)nstəpəɫ/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A town and civil parish with a town council in North Devon district, Devon, England (OS grid ref SS5633).

Etymology

Formerly Barnstable; the name is first recorded in the 10th century and is believed to derive from the Old English bearde (“battle-axe”) and stapol (“pillar”). Not related to staple in the sense of a market, which arose later.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈbɑː(ɹ)nstəpəɫ/

Questions

How do you pronounce barnstaple?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɑː(ɹ)nstəpəɫ/.
What does barnstaple mean?: A town and civil parish with a town council in North Devon district, Devon, England (OS grid ref SS5633).
Where does barnstaple come from?: Formerly Barnstable; the name is first recorded in the 10th century and is believed to derive from the Old English bearde (“battle-axe”) and stapol (“pillar”). Not related to staple in the sense of a market, which arose later.

How to pronounce barnstaple

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