The Pharisees

The word Pharisee has taken the meaning of hypocrite because Jesus has dealt mostly with hypocrite Pharisees throughout his ministry. But when we read 'Pharisee' in the scriptures we should just let the context reveal if the passage is speaking about a hypocrite or not. For instance, in Luke 18:10-14, Jesus compares a Pharisee who was a hypocrite with a humble repentant sinner. But in John 3 we have Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, where He told him about needing to be born again. Nicodemus was blind to spiritual things and maybe cautious to some degree to really accept Jesus' message, but him coming to Jesus to learn from Him shows humility, and I believe he probaby received God's grace and was saved. A hypocrite can't make it into the kingdom of God without being changed (e.g. Matthew 23:13). As for Paul, even as an apostle of Jesus he identified with what he had been, "concerning the law, a Pharisee" (Philippians 3:5). His error was not in being part of a group called the Pharisees but in just being blind to the truth and being a persecutor of Jesus' church. He was sincere but sincerely wrong; he was not a hypocrite but ignorant of God's ways, and God had mercy on him:

1 Timothy 1:12-13
12  And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; 13  although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Philippians 3:3-6
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh; 4  though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: 5  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6  concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

Here, the apostle Paul speaks about his fellow Israelites that would have included the Pharisees certainly:
Romans 10:2-4
2  For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3  For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4  For Christ is the end* of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

*goal, objective

Lastly, let's consider Jesus' instruction to his disciples concerning the Pharisees that reveals that there was indeed much hypocrisy among them:
Matthew 23:1-3
 1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2  saying, “The Pharisees and scribes sit on Moses' seat. 3  All which they will say unto you, observe and do; but their works do not do, because they say, and do not do.

They could speak right but their actions didn't match their teachings.