Bear vs bare: spelling tips to help you learn the difference

The words BEAR and BARE are easy to confuse – particularly when you’re using the expression bear with me, when there’s a world of a difference in meaning! This is one you really don’t want to get wrong!

Here are my simple tips to remember the difference between BEAR and BARE.

When to use bear

BEAR can be a noun or a verb.

As a verb, it means to carry or endure. You can use it in a sentence like this:

“Please bear with me for a moment.”

OR

“The pressure was hard to bear.”

As a noun, bear is a large animal.

For example:

“Winnie-the-Pooh is a famous bear.”

When to use bare

BARE can be a verb or an adjective.

As a verb, bare means to expose, like this:

“I will bare my soul and be completely honest.”

As an adjective, bare means exposed, like this:

“The gorilla beat his bare chest.”

Now you know the difference between bear and bare you can see that the phrases “bear with me” (please be patient) and “bare with me” (let’s get naked) should never be mixed up! I hope these tips help you to remember the difference between these commonly confused spellings in the future.

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