Confusing Words: Bare (adjective/verb) and Bear (noun/verb)
Meaning:
Bare (without covering or clothing; naked)
Bear (carry the weight of; support.)
Bare vs Bear Clarification: The two words are pronounced in a similar manner but both have very different meanings.
Bare vs Bear – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
Confusing words such as bare vs. bear are, sometime, very hard to understand. In this post, I will explain the difference between bare and bear. It is very important to keep them apart.
Like the other homophones, bare and bear has same pronunciation but they are spelled differently. Furthermore, their meanings and usage within sentences also differ. They cannot be interchangeable.
Let us define each term separately so that you can easily get the difference between both of these confusing words.
Bare
This particular word is used as an adjective or a verb within sentences. As an adjective, bare means not covered or unclothed. While as a verb, it means to expose or to uncover.
1. Please, don’t walk on the floor with bare feet. (as an adjective)
2. I was scared when the dog bared its teeth and turned to me. (as a verb)
3. I cannot bare my head outside home. (as a verb)
Bear
Bear has two different meanings. The word ‘bear’ can be used as a noun or a verb within sentences.
As a noun, bear is used to refer a large and strong mammal covered with thick fur. They are mostly found in colder areas (in the woods). For example,
1. I was very scared when I encountered a large black bear in the woods.
As a verb, bear means to tolerate something terrible; to hold something; give birth; to produce fruit, flower or plants. For example,
1. I can’t bear this kind of awful attitude in my class.
2. I hope that the tree will bear fruits in the coming season.
The three tenses of bear are; bear (present), bore (past), borne (past participle). For instance, she had borne four children.
What Did You Learn?
Bear and bare are two different words that cannot be interchangeable. Furthermore, Bear is used as a noun or a verb within sentences.
Bear: As a noun, it is used to refer a mammal and as a verb, it means to tolerate or to hold something.
Bare: It is used as an adjective or a verb within sentences. In both cases, bare is used to refer of being uncovered or exposed.