Bear vs. bare: which spelling is correct?

The short answer

Bear and bare sound alike but mean different things. Bear is a verb meaning to carry, support, or endure, as in a beam that must bear weight. It is also the name of the large animal. Bare is an adjective meaning uncovered, empty, or plain, as in bare feet or a bare room. So the correct phrases are bear weight and bear a burden, not bare weight or bare a burden, and remembering this pair prevents a very common writing mistake.

Where the words come from

Bear traces back to an old Germanic root meaning to carry, the same root behind words like birth and burden, which is why the verb keeps its sense of carrying weight or enduring hardship across so many everyday, modern uses.

Bare comes from a separate old Germanic root meaning naked or uncovered. Because the two words evolved from different sources but ended up sounding identical in modern English, they became one of the most commonly confused homophone pairs among learners and native speakers alike.

What each word means

Bear as a verb covers several related ideas: to carry a physical load, to endure hardship, or to produce something, as in a tree that bears fruit. A support beam must bear the weight of the roof above it. Someone under stress might say they can no longer bear the pressure at work, and a witness is asked to bear testimony in court.

Bare functions mainly as an adjective describing something without covering or decoration, such as bare walls, bare feet, or a bare minimum. It can also work as a verb meaning to uncover or reveal, as in to bare one's soul. The shelves stood bare after the sale ended, and the trees looked bare once autumn arrived.

Bear and bare in a sentence

The old bridge can no longer bear the weight of heavy trucks. She walked across the sand with bare feet, enjoying the warm grains. Employees were asked to bear the extra workload during the busy season. The dog dug until the bare earth showed beneath the grass, and the roots lay exposed in the afternoon sun.

• Bear: to carry, support, or endure; also the animal
• Bare: uncovered, empty, or plain; also to reveal

Common mistakes to avoid

The phrases bear weight and bear a burden trip up many writers because bare looks like it could mean the same thing. Not: the shelf cannot bare that much weight; the sentence needs bear, since it describes carrying a load. Not: he had to bear his feet before entering the temple; that sentence needs bare, since it describes removing a covering. Checking whether the sentence involves carrying or exposing usually settles the choice quickly.

Remember it

Think of a bear hugging and carrying something in its arms to remember that bear means to carry or endure. Think of bare skin, with an extra e for exposed, to remember that bare means uncovered. If the sentence is about carrying, enduring, or the animal, use bear; if it is about being uncovered or empty, use bare.