Semantic barrier refers to the study of meanings of words and signs. Semantic barriers arise due to problems in language. 

Three semantic barriers to communication are : 

Words with different Meanings: Communication is mainly carried through spoken or written words. But some words convey different meanings to different people. When the reader or listener assigns a different meaning to a word than what the writer or speaker intended, there occur miscommunication. People interpret the same word differently due to differences in their economic, social, cultural or educational background. 

Bad Expression: When the message is not formulated and presented in the proper manner, the receiver fails to comprehend it and misunderstanding occurs. 

Badly expressed message lose their impact. A badly expressed message causes loss of valuable time and money as it requires further corrections and clarifications. 

Faulty Translation : Each information received should be translated in a suitable form for further transmission. Often people translate words in a literal sense thereby losing the spirit behind the words. Inaccurate translation leads to misunderstanding and confusion.