Bare and bear are homonyms. That means they sound and are pronounced the same, but have very different meanings. Here we explain how to use bare and bear.
The verb ‘to bear’ has many meanings:
- To carry, bring or take;
- To show (e.g. to bear the marks of suffering/success etc.);
- To produce fruit or offspring;
- To sustain (e.g. to bear the cost or weight of something, or to put up with it);
- To carry in thought (e.g. “I’ll bear that in mind”);
- To carry a weapon/weapons.
The noun ‘bear’ is of course the animal – brown/black/polar, but not Koala!
The verb ‘to bare’ means to reveal (e.g. ‘she bared her soul’ or ‘he bared his chest’)
The adjective ‘bare’ means uncovered or plain (e.g. ‘these are the bare facts’)
Many expressions in English are easy to say, but then more difficult when it comes to putting them into words. If this is still confusing, then why not get your written work proofread by one of our team of professional proofreaders? We work around the clock seven days a week to ensure you are able to meet your deadlines.