Ever get confused with words that sound the same but are differently spelled? No worries, homophones are a tricky bunch and get people confused all the time. We’ve tackled a couple of homophones before like discrete vs discreet and aisle vs isle, and figured out how to remember which is which. This time, we’re going to be looking at bear vs bare and see what trick we can use as a mnemonic.
Bear
We often associate this word with the cute but rather dangerous animal. However, it is also used as a verb. As a verb, it either means to endure something or to carry something. To better illustrate how the word bear should be used, let’s look at some examples.
Examples
- I had to close my eyes halfway through that scene because I just could not bear the gore being shown.
- There was a lot of gossip going around that the baker’s daughter is bearing the child of the future king.
- I was so delighted and surprised when my friends came to the party bearing gifts.
- Bear in mind that the deadline of submission for the contest is coming up.
- After all the hard work she put in reviewing, Liezel now officially bears the title of engineer.
Bare
The word bare is an adjective used to describe something naked or without cover. It can also be used as a verb that means “to expose” or “uncover.”
Examples
- I always wear slippers in the house because I don’t like the feeling of having my bare feet touch the cold tiles.
- During autumn, the branches of the trees are bare since all the leaves are falling off.
- The teacher was very disappointed in some of her students because they did not even try to accomplish the bare minimum to pass her class.
- As a very talkative and emotional drunk, I would often bare my heart and soul to my friends after a few rounds.
- He was completely covered, but he felt bare after finally coming clean to his parents.
Bear vs Bare
The tricky thing about homophones is that even though you know one word means “to endure,” while the other means “naked,” you’re not quite sure which word means what. Now, to avoid interchanging the pair of words, it’s best if you can find a way to associate the word with its meaning so you’ll always remember. To help you with that, we’ve devised a little rhyme that is easy to recall.
When A comes after E, just endure and let it be. And when R comes in between, without a cover, you are seen.
But if you’re still having some trouble even with the rhyme, here’s another way to remember it:
The bear eats the fruit that the trees bear. But there’s no fruit if the tree is bare.
Just keep these tricks in mind the next time you’re struggling with the bear vs bare problem, and you’ll find yourself picking the correct word.