Bear vs Bare

This one can be confusing because of the different meanings and forms of the word.

Bear is the name of a certain furry animal that can be cuddly or a threat.

There’s a bear on the loose.

I love my teddy bear.

It also serves as a verb meaning to tolerate, endure or carry something.

An anxious mind is hard to bear.

I can’t bear the thought of my family living far away.

Bare can be an adjective or a verb. It is where both spellings of the word can be verbs that leads to much confusion and the wrong spelling is often use for the different verbs.

As an adjective, bare means uncovered or empty.

The cupboard was bare.

Don’t go outside with bare feet.

As a verb, bare means to reveal something, maybe by opening something.

I felt so comfortable with her, I wanted to bare my soul.

The dog opened his mouth slightly, baring its teeth.

As you can see, the meanings of both forms of bare are closely linked. Both are associated with being uncovered, revealing something.

With bear, there is no link between the animal and the verb meaning so it’s slightly harder to remember.

As usual, I hope you’ve found this useful and let me know of anything else you’d like clearing up.