ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediateadjective / verbnoun / verb
BarevsBear
'Bare' means uncovered or minimal; 'bear' is the large animal or means to carry and endure.
Side-by-side comparison
Bare
adjective / verb"Bare" means naked, uncovered, or without decoration. Also as a verb: to reveal or expose something. "Bare your soul" means to open up completely.
He walked across the hot sand in bare feet.
The apartment was completely bare, no furniture at all.
We completed the project with the bare minimum of resources.
Bear
noun / verb"Bear" is the animal, but also a verb with multiple meanings: to carry, to endure, or to give birth. "Bear in mind" means to keep something in consideration.
A brown bear appeared at the edge of the forest.
I cannot bear the thought of losing this account.
The old bridge can still bear heavy loads.
Common mistake
Writing "bare" when you mean to endure is the most common mistake: "I can't bare this" is wrong. The verb for enduring is "bear". "Bare" is an adjective meaning uncovered, naked, or minimal.
Trick to remember it
- •The bear animal is strong and can endure cold and carry heavy loads.
- •"Bare" sounds like "air": something exposed, open to the elements.
Quick rule
- •"Bear" = the animal or to endure something ("I can't bear it").
- •"Bare" = uncovered, naked, empty, or minimal ("bare arms", "bare minimum").
Did you know?
"Bear" as a verb has over 15 distinct meanings: bear a child, bear a resemblance, bear in mind, bear fruit, bear witness, bear arms, bear right (turn right). It is also irregular: bear / bore / borne. "Bare" also works as a verb: "to bare one's soul" = to reveal one's deepest self, "to bare one's teeth" = to show teeth in a threat. Two small words with surprisingly large vocabularies.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She walked on the _____ sand, without shoes, and loved the feel of it.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The noise from the neighbours was hard to _____ . I couldn't sleep at all.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy