Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

john barleycorn

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.61 in modern English

Syllables: john bar-l-ey-corn
IPA

31

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A personification of alcoholic drink made from barley, particularly beer and whisky.

Example Sentences

"Blazing face: redhot. Too much John Barleycorn. Cure for a red nose."

Etymology

John (commonly used to personify a concept) + barleycorn; barley is used to produce malt, the source of most British alcoholic drink.

Synonyms

liquor spirits booze hard drink hard liquor strong drink

Questions

What does john barleycorn mean?: A personification of alcoholic drink made from barley, particularly beer and whisky.
Where does john barleycorn come from?: John (commonly used to personify a concept) + barleycorn; barley is used to produce malt, the source of most British alcoholic drink.

How to pronounce john barleycorn

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “john barleycorn”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “john barleycorn” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.